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COMPONENT 1 SECTION A BEYONCE:

FORMATION bell hooks has actually written a response to the Lemonade


THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES album, stating that Beyoncé offers multidimensional images
of black female life. We can see examples of this in the
bELL hOOKS: The big question to consider here is whether montage of images featuring black women in the wig shop
Beyoncé is adopting feminism as a lifestyle choice in order and at mardi gras. She praises the video saying “portraits of
to sell music or whether she is making an active political ordinary everyday black women are spotlighted, poised as
commitment to feminism. We know that bell hooks has though they are royalty”. However, hooks criticises Beyoncé
labelled Beyoncé a ‘terrorist’ following her appearance on saying that her feminism does not call for an end to
the cover of Time magazine, where she was constructed as patriarchal domination. Can we find examples in Formation
submissive and almost childlike in a voyeuristic way. There that evidence hooks’ assertion?
are moments in this video that reinforce the objectification
of women. For example, the women dance in formation in
skimpy hot pants, and their movements draw the eye to
their waists and curves. This is very typical iconography for
the pop music genre, so from this perspective Beyoncé is
exploiting the dancers to promote herself as a pop-star by
using recognisable conventions that appeal to a wide
mainstream audience. The fact that Beyoncé positions
herself as the hero is every mini-narrative within the video
also suggests that she is positioning herself as saviour and
focusing attention on herself rather than the people who
have actually be affected by the events she is depicting.

PAUL GILROY: says we can still see the effects of colonialism


in the media today; people from ethnic minorities are often
shown as powerless, weak, dehumanised, marginalised, and
“other”. By contrast, white western people are often shown
as more powerful, successful, and important. The media
promotes the inequality of the status and power of ethnic
minorities compare to white people, thus promoting
postcolonial ideologies. Arguably Beyonce’s Lemonade album
seeks to challenge these media representations as outlined by
Gilroy. How does Formation challenge racial hierarchies?
A different perspective might be that Beyoncé is celebrating
Firstly, it places black women in a position of power and
black feminism by featuring only black women, of different
domination. This can be clearly seen in the shots of Beyonce
skin tones, and all with natural hair. bell hooks discusses
standing on top of the police car, and dressed in Antebellum
cultural appropriation and the way white female pop stars
costume sitting proudly in a plantation style house. Beyonce
appropriate black culture in order to make money i.e.
uses these cultural codes to explore historical representations
“white supremacist capitalist patriarchy” (Taylor Swift,
of black people (remember there were many free black
Miley Cyrus). Black women are not celebrating for their
people in NO). Some might interpret the shots of Beyonce
culture, but when a white woman appropriates it, it
dancing in the plantation style house, with framed
becomes a cool style. Formation (and other Lemonade
photographs of black people on the walls, and she and her
videos) explores this perspective by celebrating black
friends dressed in antebellum dresses as a comment on
culture and perhaps excluding white women from her
slavery i.e. she is showing how far black people have
‘formation’ is a clear message that white women should not
overcome slave history. However, a more knowing audience
use black culture for their own capitalistic gains. It also
might interpret this as exposing a story that is hidden from
helps to highlight the importance of black women who are
mainstream narratives about slavery: there were successful
often marginalised or depicted as ‘other’. Representations
and free black people living in NO. The mainstream narrative
of POC are often stereotypical, narrow, and distorted
that all black people were slaves is being challenged by
because they are constructed by white producers. This
Beyonce as she explores more complex and multifaceted
video is entirely created by POC, however we must consider
aspects of black history. Beyonce constructs herself as a free
that this video isn’t a philanthropic endeavour – it was
person of colour who, in Louisiana 1700s, would have enjoyed
created to stir up interest in Beyoncé’s album and in her.
relatively high levels of acceptance and prosperity. She also
hooks also discusses the idea that black culture is
denotes herself as a matriarch, the woman of the house. It
commodified and sanitised for white audiences’
was not uncommon for women to lead the household and to
consumption. Can this be said about Formation? Are white
own their own homes. All of this suggests that Beyonce is
audiences actively excluded from the video? Are the
challenging media postcolonial representations, as outlined
cultural codes accessible to a white audience?
COMPONENT 1 SECTION A BEYONCE:
FORMATION
THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES

by Gilroy.

However! Does Beyonce perpetuate the notion of


“otherness” by creating a narrative around the binary
opposition of white vs black? There is a clear divide on racial
lines in this video, the scene with the boy vs the police is a
prime example. The exclusion of white people, other that the
police officers, may also suggest that this question is correct.

DAVID GAUNTLETT: Modern media has little time for old WHAT TO EXPECT IN THE EXAM
fashioned gender stereotypes. Gauntlett identifies that
stereotypes have changed a lot over the past 20 years and
Q1/Q2: This question may require you to compare this
that the mass media is a force for change. Instead of women
music video with an unseen text. The unseen text can be
being restricted to the traditional roles such as wives or low-
from any media form, both print and audio-visual. If the
status workers, there are now successful female power icons.
unseen text is audio-visual you will be allowed to view it 3
For men too, the media has moved away from the masculine
times, with time in between to make notes. One of the
ideals of toughness, self-reliance, and emotional silence,
questions will focus on media language and one will focus
towards representations of men as emotional beings. The
on representation, and these can come in either order.
media has created a space for diverse male and female
identities. We can really easily apply this theory to Formation The questions asked will relate to the guidance you will find
as Beyonce uses montage editing to present a range of at the top of the Weebly page. A couple of examples for
female identities, and in particular black female identities media language might be:
which have been largely ignored by the mass media in the
past. Beyonce challenges old stereotypes of black women  Compare how meaning is created through media
(the mammy, the angry woman, the jezebel, the matriarch) language in both texts
and instead presents black women as multifaceted and Theorists for the media language question for Formation
diverse. The dance troupe are a collective of strong black include: Roland Barthes (semiotics) and Levi-Strauss
women, who dance in a line (or an X), like an army. Their (structuralism).
costume references the Black Panthers, creating a cultural
code which represents these women as freedom fighters, Examples of questions for representation might be:
aggressive, and tough. The antebellum women also challenge
 Compare how audiences are positioned by the
the narrow stereotype of black women as ‘the sapphire’ or
representations in both texts
angry black woman. These women are refined, have high-
status, and their own money. This stereotypes even goes  Compare how stereotypes are used in both texts.
back to the antebellum era where white women were Theorists for the representation question include: bell
deemed to be delicate damsels, while black women were hooks, David Gauntlett, Stuart Hall, Liesbet Van Zoonen,
hard, angry, and emasculating. In this video the black women and Paul Gilroy.
are not emasculating men through their toughness, they are
raising them up, they are supporting them, they are fighting Remember that for the unseen text you will need to select
for their sons. These black female stereotypes are rooted in a the most appropriate theorists.
history of racism and slavery – it is appropriate that they
You need to be prepared to explore media language and
should be shattered by the representations in this video. This
representations in the Formation music video and refer to
links nicely to Gauntlett’s theory as he suggests that people
theory in your response. The question itself will most likely
think about their own identity, attitudes, behaviours, and
not prompt you to bring theory in, but it is expected to
lifestyle in relation to those of media figures – some of whom
access the top bands. If it is a representation question for
may be ‘role models’ – individuals make decisions and
this video you will have the opportunity to explore a range
judgements about their own way of living (and that of
of different examples such as gender and ethnicity, as well
others) based on what they see in the media. Beyonce is
as social, historical, and political contexts, as well as how
presented a diverse and complex range of black female
different audience might respond to the video. For media
identities here, none of which promote stereotypes.
language you might discuss the use of symbolic, semantic,
Gauntlett would say that the video is an example of the
and cultural codes.
media playing an important role in creating new patterns of
being. Think about the way black female audience members
are positioned by the video. How does the video speak to
them?
COMPONENT 1 SECTION A BEYONCE:
FORMATION
MEDIA LANGUAGE: CODES AND CONVENTIONS

The video is jam-packed with symbolic and cultural codes for


the audience to enjoy:

Katrina: The video is set in New Orleans and depicts the


shocking aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, ten years on. The
video opens with an ELS denoting Beyonce crouching on top
of a police car which is stranded in the middle of the flood.
This is a cultural code referencing Hurricane Katrina in which REPRESENTATION
1800 people lost their lives and 800,000 lost their homes.
Beyonce is positioned on top of the police car which is Black women and queer bodies: The video uses montage
sinking, connoting her defiance towards those in power at editing to present a wide range of images capturing NO
the treatment of the people of NO. This cultural code culture and celebrating lifestyle and culture. One particularly
strongly references the NOP which has a reputation for interesting frame is the long shot in the wig shop which
corruption, especially after Katrina. The use of ELS creates a presents one aspect of black culture in NO. Remember that
juxtaposition as it isolates Beyonce, stripping her of power, this video is a celebration of black culture and so it is
but also illustrating the situation many citizens of NO found multifaceted and prideful. Black women can have natural hair.
themselves in. They can wear wigs. They can express their culture however
they wish. Think about how this related to bell hooks. The
At the end of the video we watch Beyonce sink the police
women in Beyoncé’s troupe are all black women of different
car symbolising that the police need to be accountable for
sizes and skin tones, and all with natural hair.
their crimes. The police car flooding is a cultural code
symbolising that the US police is an institution ‘flooded’ with Beyonce uses exclusively black women and black queer bodies
racism. Beyonce is in a Jesus pose (linking to the little boy throughout the video. The cultural code implies that Beyonce
earlier), connoting her power and the idea that she will rise is celebrating these groups who are usually marginalised from
up against corruption. the BLM movement, but who are often victims and leaders.
The use of these bodies underscores the gender inequality of
#BLM: There are many symbolic codes used to create
the visibility of black lives lost to violence – the pain and death
meaning in relation to the binary opposition of white police
of black women, queer, and trans people has become invisible
officers and young black men. In a shot-reverse-shot edit we
and subordinate to black cis men.
see a line-up of police in riot gear facing a small black boy
wearing a hoodie. The hoodie itself has become a symbolic Beyonce: Ultimately this video is a vehicle for Beyoncé to
code connoting criminality and especially criminality among promote herself as a pop star. How has Beyonce used this
ethnic minorities and poor people. This hoodie is also a video to create ideas about her star persona – think about the
cultural code though because it is a reference to Trayvon Jesus pose, how she positions herself in the centre of each
Martin’s killer George Zimmerman stated that he killed him frame (frequently flanked by other people as if to convince us
because he deemed him a threat due to wearing a hoodie. of her power). She uses direct mode of address throughout
These symbolic and cultural codes suggest that black people the video gazing at the audience, standing in strong powerful
are perceived to be a threat not matter the context – here a stances, and standing on top of a police car (going on to sink
small boy dancing in the street alone. The boy stops dancing it). Beyonce moves between culturally symbolic costumes and
and holds a ‘Jesus pose’. This symbolic code implies the more pop signifiers during the dance sequences. To what
message or question – how many young black boys must die extent does her representation reinforce the objectification of
before the police surrender? women? Is there a contradiction here – is she promoting an
important message, or is she a pop star promoting herself and
Music Video Conventions: The video follows many of
packaging herself to appeal to a mainstream audience in order
Andrew Goodwin’s music video conventions but in particular
to make money? Your stance in the exam should be that this is
the use of close ups to promote the star image. This is very
a nuanced representation – it’s a bit of both.
important in this video because it is problematic. The fact
that Beyonce is centre frame in the majority of shots in this
video clearly positions her as the hero – these are her
stories. However, this becomes problematic when we think
about the message of the video – one reading might be that
she believes she is the saviour of the people of NO. Can we
trust in her message when it is contradicted by the way she
represents herself?

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