Who is in Formation? Young Adults and Beyoncé Feminism

• In Event: 3483 - Open Refereed Roundtable Session
  In Refereed Roundtable 100min: Table 07. Race, Ethnicity, and Class Within Contemporary Feminisms

Abstract

Young people are coming of age in an era where an increasingly intersectional feminism is at the forefront of conversation. Recent songs, music videos, and performances the by famous music artist Beyoncé Knowles-Carter include an explicitly Black feminist perspective that reaches millions of fans and general audiences. This research uses Beyoncé’s work as an entryway to explore the relationships that young people have to feminism, intersectional feminist perspectives (of race and gender), and how an influential celebrity may or may not contribute to these sensibilities. The method of this research offers insight into how audience members would discuss these themes in an everyday conversation about popular music. Trained interviewers conducted in-depth interviews with 25 college students using Beyoncé’s “Formation” music video as a tool to ask participants about Beyoncé’s message of feminism and the participant’s own relationship to feminism. Findings demonstrate that participants recognize Beyoncé as a role model for women who seek self-empowerment, female empowerment, or Black community empowerment. Participants espoused a diversity of feminist beliefs with some enthusiastically claiming feminism and others unwilling to do so. Participants were uncertain if Beyoncé’s messages could be promoting both racial and gender justice at the same time, indicating difficulty in understanding her intersectional identity as a Black woman. This research indicates that young adults continue the legacy of struggle with intersectional feminism, but also demonstrates how popular culture phenomena such as Beyoncé’s work could encourage audiences to consider their personal stance on such issues.

Author

• Ginger Jacobson, North Central College