Onna, MSW, LSW

Isaiah 43:19

On May 1, 2001, Destiny’s Child dropped their iconic album, ‘Survivor.’ According to Billboard, the album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart on May 19, 2001 with first-week sales of 663,000 units and stayed at number one for two consecutive weeks. It earned Destiny’s Child three Grammy nominations for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals, Best R&B Song, and Best R&B Album.

For as long as I can remember, Destiny’s Child promoted female empowerment and sang feminist lines. The lyrics to Independent Woman Pt. I & II prove this. Beyonce received extreme success after going solo and continues to challenge stereotypes placed by society on the topics of being a wife and mom.

Last week at work, after listening to Lemonade endlessly, I rediscovered the album, Survivor. Remembering that “Nasty Girl” was one of my favorites at 9 years old, I did not hesitate to play that song first. What I was not prepared for was my new disgust upon recalling the lyrics. 

The chorus chants:

“Nasty put some clothes on, I told ya Don’t walk out your house without no clothes on, I told ya Girl what ya thinkin’ bout lookin’ that to’ down, I told ya These men don’t want no hot female that’s been around the block female, you nasty girl.”

Now before you Beyhive members go crazy, hear me out.

Nasty, put some clothes on… A girl is not nasty because she wears any amount of clothing or lack thereof - POINT BLANK.

The proclamation that these men don’t want a hot female that’s been around the block… since when were we living for a man’s approval?

Additionally, a woman should not be “around the block” but the famous rapper of “Girls, Girls, Girls" and “Big Pimpin” gets no blacklash? Why are women expected to hide their sexuality while men flaunt it without a care in the world? BOTH “should” be able to sex as they please. Y'all grown.

Next point:

One line in the first verse says “Swore you look cute girl in them dukes, booty all out lookin’ trashy.” An issue with me is that Beyonce sounds completely disgusted about the girl she saw in daisy dukes. HOWEVER, were they the same daisy dukes she wore in her first solo video, Crazy in Love? IJS…

The bridge quotes “You make it hard for a girl like myself to respect themself and have dignity.” A sister to sister moment requires less finger-pointing and more sincerity. Furthermore, how does one woman receiving attention affect another’s dignity? Do YOU, boo! You sound like a hater.

At 9 years old in 2000, I would like to think I did not know as much about being a woman as I do now. And maybe Michelle, Kelly, and Beyonce didn’t realize what they were saying either. After all, they were under the management of Matthew Knowles. But that doesn’t take away the fact that Beyonce is listed as the first writer of the song.

It is obvious that Beyonce does not share the slut-shaming beliefs of that song today. She now hardly wears clothes herself CC: red carpet gowns, public appearances - and there’s no shame in that! In 2013, she dropped her self-titled album on iTunes. On the last track, Flawless, she features the poet, Chimamanda Ngozi. Ngozi is heard saying, “We teach girls that they cannot be sexual beings in the way that boys are.” Well, ‘Nasty Girl’ supports that very poison. The feminist journey is never-ending. I can attest to that. In all, I am glad our views as women expand as we mature. We will not agree on everything. I do hope we can one day agree on this: Fly your woman flag high, naked or clothed! Neither makes you a prude or a NASTY.