June 22nd my life was changed and I experienced a performance by the queen of the U.S., perhaps the 21st century’s greatest entertainer, and 2013’s sex symbol, Beyoncé. It’s like she should be a guilty pleasure but I’m oh so proud. She’s something like Madonna at the top of her game… but different. Female version of Prince…? The digital age’s closest attempt at Beatlemania 2.0, or maybe she’s just Beyoncé. She has become more of a sex symbol (in her unique Beyoncé glory) after the release of her self titled, 2013 album and tour dates. She has a unique balance of subtle and outright sexual content, far too bold to be considered “suggestive.” She speaks of a ghostly sensuality in one song to something aggressively sexual lines later. Whispering the words “**** me,” she borders on shock value but also breaks down the walls of what women can and cannot say in entertainment. Somehow it works. It isn’t “trashy” or “gross” because of the idiosyncrasies and complexities in her image.
A lot of this is achieved through the sexual imagery referenced in the chapter, It’s All About Sex… Beyoncé uses nearly all of these techniques and symbols in her latest album and it’s companion music videos. The video for the album’s hit, Drunk In Love takes place on a beach reminiscent of the beach where Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr kiss in the film “From Here to Eternity.” She splashes in the water and walks to shore and it becomes impossible, regardless of gender, age (above 12), or sexual orientation to not think of sex in the movement of water and subtle changes in the camera angle.
Her live concert played out almost like a movie. In between songs there were filmed segments in which Beyoncé and her husband, Jay-Z, were criminals, “on the run” hiding in motels, driving off the map in a beat up early 1960’s sedan in an old gangster, new gangster, 21st century chic, fashion, Bonnie and Clyde, 1920’s, 1960’s, future universe. (I could write a blog post on intertextuality at her concert too). Thomas C. Foster’s examples were often used directly in the show, including his example of the blowing curtains. In their motel room gangster hideout Jay-Z and Beyoncé retire after a day of dodging law enforcement and the camera shifts as the curtains blow out the window. Later there are fireworks at a carnival and in the middle of her performance was the most powerful use of sexual symbolism of the night. It isn’t difficult to find an explanation for the use of a pistol in one of the filmed segments but its use was unique. Beyoncé grasps a revolver and takes a shooting lesson from Jay-Z. The camera shows a powerful but uneasy Queen Bey closing her eyes and pulling the trigger, achieving an innocent but striking and violent sexuality. Her behavior takes a violent turn and she destroys. She begins firing haphazardly in a chapel wearing a wedding gown, extending the sexual metaphor. It was more interesting than simply representing sex with an object as her actions representing sex in another light and sex being used as an object.Windows break and she duck the reflecting bullets. This “brand new pistol” and she begins shooting up a place that represents love and peace and generally discourages sexuality all while Jay-Z perform his hip hop ballad, Song Cry.
Beyoncé’s film crew seemed to be well versed in literature and film and used these common images to bring a unique sexuality to her performance. Beyoncé was tear jerking, awe inspiring, and high energy and ole Thomas C. Foster gave me a look into the magic of the queen without meaning to. I had plenty of time to make these connections in the 45 minutes of Beyoncé induced parking lot traffic after.
