If I Were a Boy
In Beyonceâs music video for âIf I Were a Boyâ, what Beyonce is portraying here is the switching of gender roles between a couple as if she is actually taking on âbeing a boyâ. The way she portrays this is by her playing the part of a female cop, where being a cop is usually seen as a âmanâ occupation due to the violence, action and guns (which she also shows in her video). In contrast, her boyfriend in the video works in an office with a bunch of other women, again to depict a more feminine career, since working in an office is considering quiet, relax and not as tough.Â
Besides the contrast in their careers, other gender roles are at play such as how right in the beginning of the video, Beyonce comes downstairs to the kitchen where we see her boyfriend had made breakfast for the both of them, and she just grabs a bite to go and doesnât even take the time to enjoy the meal he made for her, leaving him visibly upset. We see more instances like this such as when he calls her and we see her purposely check her phone and not pick up the phone call because she is with her fellow cops, and in the scene where she is visibly being flirtatious with her male coworker in front of her boyfriend. This is to depict how in most cases (but not all), men are usually the unfaithful and careless ones to their significant othersâ feelings, and being that Beyonce is taking on the male role in this video, she portrays this.Â
Even though Beyonce is playing the more masculine role in this video, I think it is important to note that she is still somewhat sexualized, like at 1:51, where she is taking off her uniform in the locker room to reveal her breast in a bra, and how at around 2:30, when she slams the criminal against the car door, the camera focuses on her butt and we see her male coworker gazing at it. Also, if you pause the video around 3:34, we see how her boyfriend is the one standing up while she is sitting when discussing their feelings, somewhat portraying him as the dominant one, as males usually are portrayed.
P.S. yes I did watch this video a hundred times because I love the song!









