Life of Stu

The album Lemonade by Beyoncé tells the story of the experience as a black woman. Beyoncé retraces the infidelity and reconciliation with her husband, Jay-Z.  Beyoncé uses this love story as a platform to the larger story that women have had to face for many generations before her such as black women’s bodies being property, fetishized, the overall disrespect black women have faced from their people and society. While many agree that Lemonade does tell a powerful story of the black women’s’ experience, many are not convinced that this story is one that Beyoncé has faced. Many people believe that Beyoncé & Jay-Z has sold this story to make money, but Beyoncé is indeed telling the story of her relationship with Jay-Z. I argue that Lemonade is not only a reflection of black women’s experience, but of Beyoncé’s life.

One criticism that people first argue over Beyoncé is that she does not write her own music. Nevertheless, that does not mean that a person cannot collect various pieces of original art (songs) to create a large piece of art (Lemonade). When looking at the writing credits of the various songs, many songs have multiple writers, but in every song Beyoncé has writing creds. It is more than possible for Beyoncé to receive a song and have it tailored to her life. For example, in the song “Formation” the lyrics are “My daddy Alabama, momma Louisiana/You mix that negro with that Creole make a Texas bamma” which is where she and her parents are from. It is lyrics like this that are tailored to her life, which Beyoncé more than likely has influence over.

The next point is the lyric “Becky with the good hair” being a reference to someone that Jay-Z cheated with years ago. While it Is mostly speculation as to who exactly “Becky” is, there has been many women that Jay-Z has been suspected of cheating with such as Rita Ora, Rihanna, and most notably Rachel Roy who posted a selfie quoting herself with the “good hair” just days after Lemonade premiered. However, this is not the first-time Beyoncé has talked about cheating while with Jay-Z, as she did a powerful rendition of Resentment in the video listed below. Beyoncé has had her fair share of struggles with her marriage as she has suffered from miscarriages, constant backlash from those who oppose her support of the Black Lives Matter movement, and cheating.

Lastly, one cannot deny the anger and sadness behind her videos such as “Don’t Hurt Yourself” and “Sandcastles”. While music videos are supposed to display a certain emotion depending on the song, in the video “Don’t Hurt Yourself” you can clearly see the rage behind Beyoncé’s lyrics and her movements throughout the video. In “Sandcastles” the sadness behind this song is strong and clear from her acting to the moment she says “Bitch, I scratched out your name and your face/What is it about you that I can’t erase, baby?” At this point, her voice even cracks releasing the tears, as she reflects on her relationship. This type of emotion is even reflected in Jay-Z’s 4:44 with his response to Beyoncé’s album “Lemonade”. Jay-Z affirms things that he has done wrong in their relationship, all of which align with themes and issues that Beyoncé addresses in Lemonade.

In conclusion, no one absolutely knows what goes on behind the scenes with Beyoncé & Jay-Z besides the two. However, there is more than enough circumstantial evidence to infer that there is indeed going on. Beyoncé & Jay-Z are both human beings with flaws and no relationship is perfect. There will be difficult times and there will be great times. While many argue that this is simply a piece of art that Beyoncé is marketing, it can also be said that this reflects her life as well.

           The documentary “Me at The Zoo” is a documentary that takes a close look at one of YouTube’s infamous bloggers, Chris Crocker. Me at The Zoo examines multiple topics such as social media, notoriety, and sexuality. Chris Crocker is not at all shy when it comes to expressing himself and his sexuality. Chris was often harassed in his small home town and threatened because of how he expressed himself. School officials even refused to offer him any protection because they did not agree with his expression of himself either, leaving Chris to be homeschooled. Sexuality played an important role in the film, especially after Chris went viral with his “Leave Brittney Alone!” video. While thousands of people on the internet loved the video, many of those on the internet hated it so much that they threatened went as far to threaten him in real life. However, despite the threats and hate, Chris continued to use YouTube and other social media platforms to express himself, which led me to believe that there is something about the internet that attracts people despite the bullying and harassment. Therefore, I argue that social media is a safer place for those whose sexuality is different from the norm.

           In physical space, or as we might say “real life”, people do not have the ability to remain anonymous. Whether a person expresses themselves by the things they say, wear, or do, the lack of these forms of expression communicates how a person is as well. In physical space, those who identify as LGBT are often harassed and have a difficult navigating through spaces such as schools, work place, and even just going out in public spaces. According to a study conducted by UCLA’s William’s Institute, 21% of LGBT employees report that they have been discriminated against in hiring, promotions and pay. According GLSEN’s study conducted in 2015, LGBT students were 5x more likely to be bullied in middle and high school than non-LGBT students. It has been shown time and time again that these places are notoriously unsafe for LGBT people, however, as time progresses there has been more education and understanding in recent years than before.

           When it comes to one’s presence online, you can completely mask who you are or create an entire new personality to an extent. Also, even if you do present a certain persona online, you could always restart and become someone else. On the internet, no one knows who you are, what you look like, or anything else about you. In addition to this, there are communities and forums that LGBT people can join for social support or even just to know that there are people like them in similar situations. The internet offers a safe space for LGBT to navigate and connect, allowing them to escape the harsh realities that they might face in real life.

           Despite how safe the internet can be, social media remains one of the biggest spaces for harassment and bullying. In the case of Chris Crocker, his videos started off with him simply expressing himself, but as he grew more popular, his sexuality entered the limelight and many people expressed horrible comments to him. If it wasn’t for the strong social support of his family, specifically his grandmother, his situation may have been as pleasant. However, despite all the hate he received, he still appealed to those who supported him and appreciated him for who he is. This sort of reflects real life in the sense of how people function. For those who get harassed in real life, they do not continue to hang around their tormentors, but rather separate themselves from them. On the internet, for those who are harassed, often do their best to ignore those who are against them. Therefore, despite the dangers of potential harassment one may face on the internet, the benefits that the internet can have such as connecting with similar people, creating a more favorable identity, or simply just escaping their everyday lives outweighs the risk that the internet can present.

           Women throughout centuries have been fighting inequalities between men and themselves. From the Women’s Civil Right’s Movement to present day America, women are continuously pushing against the idea of being less than men in every aspect of life. The documentary, Miss Representation, is a documentary by Jennifer Newsom, that delves deep into the core of these inequalities. Despite being a male, one notable inequality issue I have is with the way women are portrayed in video games. I argue that women are often oversexualized, under represented, and depicted as less powerful than men and other creatures. These issues can all be seen by take a closer look at video games.

           Women are greatly oversexualized in video games. According to a study conducted by Teresa Lynch, a media communication researcher at Indiana University, Lynch found that female video game characters are still more sexualized than their male counter parts. Lynch compiled 571 female video game characters from 1989 to 2014 and saw that women often were depicted with enlarged breasts and narrow waists. Personally, I’ve noticed this often in fighting games, such as Soul Calibur or Street Fighter. Most women in these games are almost, if not all, depicted with enlarged breasts, perfect facial features, and a narrow waist. One interesting note that Lynch found is that female gamers tend to avoid games that feature overly sexualized female characters, which I could understand why. Why play a game in which you’re depicted in a way that is not how you or most people are? I imagine that it can be extremely frustrating and can lower one’s self-esteem, however, that is if one can even play a female character.

           Males have dominated the creation of video games, specifically from who gamers are able to play to the storyline of these games. Female characters in video games have for a long time been slim to none. Recently, there has been a push for more female representation in video games. There are female characters such as Aqua, from Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, and Lightning, from Final Fantasy 13, where they take on the main role and the story follows them. However, there are still a vast number of video games such as Grand Theft Auto, Call of Duty, and 100+ sports games where there is hardly any female representation unless they are being objectified.

           Lastly, let’s look at the women that are in video and how powerful they are compared to their male counterparts. In many role-playing video games (RPGs) there is a tendency to have female characters as frail and supportive. Take League of Legends, a massive multiplayer online role-playing game that has over a million users. Most female characters have low base health, are ranged fighters, or are used to support other characters. There is only one character, Leona, in which none of these apply, but this is only one out of almost 100 playable characters. In other games, women are often taken captive by the antagonist because they are “too weak” to save themselves. This idea has been perpetuated since the beginning of video games and while there has been a push away from this idea, there is still more work to be done.

           Overall, in multiple forms of media and pop culture, women continue to be oversexualized, under represented, and less powerful than men. However, in video games, this continues to be obvious. Female characters in video games are being depicted in ways that are not possible in real life, not given a lot of representation in video game storylines, and still are weaker than men. As more women enter the field of video game development, hopefully, they will be able to fight against this notion that has been ingrained in video game culture and depict women in a more accurate way.

Below is a video on the Top 10 Successful Video Games with Female Leads

           “Not Just a Game” is a film told by Dave Zirin that tells the story of how sports and politics have intersected for decades, despite the belief that the two should always remain separate. “Not Just a Game” touches on various issues with sports culture such as how militarized it is, women’s fight to play sports, LGBT athletes, and African-Americans in sports. Since the beginning of time, sports have been seen as the ultimate sense of the word masculinity and anyone not a part of that culture was seen as less than. I argue that many people sell out to become a part of the sports culture.

           First, let’s look at the number of active, openly, gay athletes in the three-major sports league (NBA, MLB, and NFL). There are no zero. None. According to the William’s Institute’s study in 2011, 3.8% of Americans consider themselves LGBT. Considering that study was conducted several years ago and with the number of millennials with new ways of thinking, the number has probably risen to at most 10%. This is also what Alfred Kinsey believed with his creation of the Kinsey scale that measures sexuality. Alfred Kinsey believed that 1 in every 10 people were less than exclusively heterosexual. However, the number of LGBT Americans has been difficult to determine due to lack of openness in disclosing one’s sexuality. If at least 3.8%-10% of Americans identify as LGBT why is this not reflected in sports culture?

           Next, let’s examine how women sporting events compare to men sporting events. For many sports, there is typically a men’s version and a women’s version of the game such as basketball, tennis, and soccer. Essentially these sports are the same for women and men, but women receive less money and air time for their games. Women make roughly 65 to 75 cents for every dollar a man. Women also receive 5% less airtime now for sports than they did twenty years ago. This is not to say that women should stop playing sports, but that they are selling out because they do not have an option. Women have been burdened with the stigma of being less than men since the beginning of time and this notion continues to persist today. Women make up about 50.8% of the population in America, but still are not paid as much as men or receive the same recognition that men do for the exact same activity.

           Lastly, let’s look at those who attend sporting events. Being a college student, it is typically tradition to attend at least ONE football or basketball game. I used to play football and basketball for fun when I was a kid, but I could not tell you the names of more than five teams from either one. I can safely assume that there are others out there who feel the same. At these sporting events, you can find tons of “fans” wearing gear from their favorite team from head to toe, face paint of their team’s colors, and these people cheering their team’s name with a bunch of their friends who look very similar. However, not everyone in the group knows how the sport works fully. They might be able to name a few players, a couple positions, when their team scores, but not much more than that. However, no one really minds because sports culture sells inclusivity. People feel connected when they’re with a bunch of people who are there for the same reason they are. They feel as though they belong, despite whatever the person’s race, gender, ethnicity, or socio-economic may be.

           The sports culture in America has moved beyond just a game. It is a culture. It’s a lifestyle and whether people like it or not, if you’re not a part of it, you’re an outsider. Even, if you try to be a part of it and you don’t fit the mold for it, you’re still out of it. Selling out may be considered an insult, but it can be the first step to receiving proper representation and compensation if the platform is used correctly. Sports don’t have to be just a game anymore, it can now be a tool used to start a revolution.

Picture this: you are watching your favorite comedic Youtuber and after laughing for five minutes straight, you finally make it to the end of the video. Right before the video ends, your favorite Youtuber says, “Don’t forget to subscribe and like this video!” to see more content. You scroll your mouse to the bottom of the video and make sure to like the video before continuing onto the next video. By you liking the video, you have just helped increase the worth of your favorite YouTuber and helped monetize their video. In Frontline’s documentary, “Generation Like” filmmakers address this obsession over “likes”. However, the real issue is not with the obsession over like, but the sponsors that are profiting from those who are able to generate a vast amount of likes and attention on social media. I argue that in today’s generation, marketability far outweighs genuine talent.

In “Generation Like”, filmmakers highlight YouTuber, Steven Fernandez, otherwise known as “Babyscumbag” and his road to stardom. Fernandez is an example of how one’s marketability outweighs their talent. Fernandez started off posting skateboarding videos. One of his videos went viral and then he began to attract the attention of sponsors. These sponsors paid Fernandez to wear their merchandise during his videos in order attract more consumers. However, Fernandez stopped posting as many skateboarding videos and moved to raunchy, comedic videos, despite his passion for skateboarding. Fernandez’s raunchy videos appealed to many people and sponsors took note of this. Sponsors rewarded Fernandez more for these videos, rather than the talent for skateboard that he has.

           Another highlight from “Generation Like” in which marketability outweighs genuine talent is YouTuber Tyler Oakley. Oakley’s stardom originated from creating videos to update his friends on his life and journeys. However, similarly to Fernandez, one his videos went viral and Oakley began to attract a large following. Oakley does not have any performative talent (singing, comedy, dancing, etc). Oakley’s videos consist of discussing pop cultures, vlogging, and showing off products that sponsors get him to promote. Pop culture is always up to date on pop culture, has very similar interests to those who are consumers of pop culture, and has a likeable personality. Sponsors can profit off Oakley simply because of who he is, not what he is able to do.

           Lastly, those who are not marketable, but do have talent are not as successful as those mentioned earlier. This is evident on the streaming platform, “Soundcloud”. On this platform, you can find dozens of musicians who have genuine talent, but do not have the marketability to launch their careers. There are, however, some musicians such as, Tori Kelly or Chance the Rapper, who have been able use this platform to make a name for themselves, but does not compare to the number of those who have not. This is not to say that everyone who can sing or has some sort of talent should be famous, but those who are dedicated to making it a career should be able to.

           In conclusion, today’s generation no longer needs to have talent to become successful. The only thing necessary to be successful is to be able to appeal to an audience, which does not take a lot of effort, especially if you just be yourself. If you have talent, sponsors push you to do other things that might not necessarily align with that talent. If you don’t have talent, you can still be famous if you’re able to relate to people. Then are people who do have talent, but are never able to become successful with that talent. Talented or not, all that matters today is marketability. 

Check Christina Rome’s cover of The Weeknd’s “The Hills”! Now this woman has genuine talent and deserves to be more successful than she is.