Introduction
Janell Hobson criticizes the video, “Run the World”, by award-winning singer/ songwriter Beyonce Knowles. She believes this song sends mixed messages on feminism, and therefore fails to advance the feminist cause. Hobson (5) explains that the lyrics to the song as well as the video contradict female empowerment. Not only are the women hypersexualized in the song, but their need for approval from a male audience (consisting of riot police) is unimaginative and anti-feminist.
While the author provides some sound arguments about why the song betrayed gender equality, her assertions only focused on a superficial analysis of the piece. A deeper analysis of the singer’s background as well as women’s reception of the song would have provided a convincing argument on the performance.
How the author was unsuccessful in her claims
Hobson (2) seems to base her claims mostly on her opinions as she does not engage with material from other feminists who have talked about similar topics.
In the article, the author makes reference to only one journal article in Psychology Today. Most of the other sources mentioned in the paper are video links to songs that advance her theme. She occasionally cites advocacy websites but only in a general way, and not in relation to specific examples. It should be noted that the latter sites were cited only twice in the entire piece. It is likely that the author refrained from the use of scholarly references because she wanted her article to appear non-academic.
However, this does not prevent one from using magazine-friendly ways of citing other people’s work. She should have italicized the article titles and names of other writers who have done similar work. In certain parts of the critique, the author states that “Beyonce suggests that women, just on the strength of their hyperfemininity, will rise again under her glamorous leadership and create a New World order” (Hobson 5).
The author bases this assertion solely on what she observes in the music video. However, it is difficult to make such inferences when one only has four minutes to go through the entire song. It would have been more authentic if the information came from the singer’s background or another external source. When making an argument about something, a writer should employ various aspects of persuasive speech.
These may include pathos, logos and ethos. In this piece, the author seems to rely too much on emotional appeal or pathos as well as her authority (ethos) rather than the logos or the logical development of her argument. In the part quoted above, Hobson (5) makes extensive use of loaded adjectives like ‘glamorous’ to advance her argument.
Audiences do not know how she drew conclusions concerning the new world order or Beyonce’s leadership of it. Hobson (1) seems to rely on her background as a feminist to validate these claims, yet that is not enough. The use of logos through scholarly support would have added credibility to her argument and made it more legitimate.
Hobson (8) assertions/claims lack evidence to support them, and thus do not adhere to the rules of sound argumentation. The first assumption that the author made in the critic is that all the readers define feminism in similar ways. Feminism is a complex and controversial term, whose meaning is still under debate today (Genz 55).
Whenever stakeholders cannot seem to agree on a common definition, it is essential for a writer to clarify the definition that he or she will be using in his or her piece; Hobson did not do this in her commentary. Some feminists may be conservative and could frown upon depictions of the female body in a sexual way. Alternatively, others may embrace a new wave of feminism, which embraces sexual expression and freedom among women (Genz 57).
It seems that the author narrowed her definition of feminism to a phenomenon that excludes sexuality. Several feminists have labeled Beyonce’s songs as the new wave of feminism. To them, this singer represents the contemporary woman who embraces her body and sexuality. Beyonce is multidimensional, powerful, sexy and independent, yet she does not have an identity crisis because she possesses all these traits.
Contemporary feminists take issue with the fact that traditional feminists object to sexualized females. Loren (5) explains that when Beyonce was dancing in the run-the-world video, she was doing it for other females, who often empower each other in dance clubs whenever they hear the song.
The latter author faults traditional feminists like Hobson because their hypersexulaisation critiques largely focus on the male gaze. In light of these findings, one can also state that Hobson (5) also assumed that hypersexuality was a problem to the feminist agenda. This would only be true if the male audience were the point of focus. For female audiences, who love Beyone’s songs, it is a way of connecting with them. Most intellectual brands of feminism are far-removed from the mainstream woman.
Furthermore, the author has not acknowledged that counterarguments do exist on the effect of the video on feminism. She should have included these thoughts and then explained why they were not as convincing as her own stance. Claims made by the author do not have adequate support or evidence. For instance, it is not clear where Hobson (5) drew her conclusion concerning the new world order that the singer will create.
The writer does not show evidence to prove that Willow Smith is a better feminist than Beyonce. She simply uses a link to her latest song. This was an unfair comparison because Willow Smith is just an 11-year old girl. There was no way her sexuality could compare to a grown woman’s version. Once again, this aspect illustrates the author’s overemphasis on hypersexuality or the lack thereof as a qualification for proper feminism.
The author also claimed that, in the video, power among women only comes from sexual prowess. Evidence to back this claim only stems from what was observed in the song. Hobson (6) did not think about the reception of the video among other females or the context of the singer’s life. These would have tilted her argument in favor of the piece.
The author was not successful in convincing the audience based on assumptions, evidence and claims made in the article. Hobson’s support for her thesis was based on her literal interpretation of the video. Her work pegged on her opinions and understanding of feminism. Comparing an adult artist to a child is hardly laudable.
Furthermore, counterarguments have not been mentioned, and the reason for their disregard is not in the critic. This article would have been more insightful if the author did some background into Beyonce’s lifestyle. The writer would have found that Beyonce is a successful and multifaceted woman whose art is not all about her sexuality.
If the author used this background information to advance her claims concerning the singer’s antifeminist stances, then her article would have been more successful. Furthermore, if the author also included information about what other feminists felt about the subject matter, then the paper would have seemed credible. The writer has a strong background in feminist studies; however, her brand of feminism is disengaged from the mainstream.
Most of the assumptions made on hypersexualization reflect a 70s-style interpretation of feminism. Currently, female empowerment is changing, and this includes loving the female body. The author should have done a better job of rendering credibility to her work by using various sources. This would have made her work believable.
Reputable sources and rigorous research always play a large role in winning the support of opponents. The author could not differentiate between her personal opinions or facts. No data was present to illustrate what the writer felt about them. In essence, since the key assumption is questionable (that sexuality is a problem in feminism), then the rest of the support she gives becomes invalid.
Conclusion
The author has a very strong opinion about the song and has clearly stated it in the piece. Furthermore, she has a background in feminist studies that strengthens her case. However, the writer mostly bases her work on opinions as one cannot determine where she derives her statements. The lack of data from credible sources on the same explains why her critic lacks legitimacy.
Works Cited
Genz, Sarah. “Singled out: Post feminism’s “new woman” and the dilemma of having it all.” Journal of Popular Culture 43.1(2010): 55-58. Print.
Hobson, Janell. “Beyonce: Girls run the world.” MS Magazine 20 May 2011. Web. https://msmagazine.com/2011/05/20/beyonce-girls-run-the-world-cue-the-apocalypse/
Loren, Arielle. Is Beyonce the face of contemporary feminism?. 20 May 2011. Web.