Having Dinner with Beyonce

This semester, I was in a pageant. One of the portions was an On-Stage Question and Answer (seen in the picture). My question was "If you could go to dinner with any celebrity, who would it be and why?" Easy right? Not for me.

When I was first told that there would be on stage questions, I automatically knew that there was no way for me to prepare for it. I SUCK at on the spot questions but for whatever reason, I do very well at interviews (weird). I just never been good at thinking on my feet. So when I got on stage and pulled that question I thought "Hmm... any other day this would be easy but tonight I can answer it in many ways."

The first celebrity I thought was Martin Luther King Jr. but I wouldn't have anything to say other than "Thank you Dr. King but we still have some work to do." Then I thought about Rosa Parks, same thing. Then I told myself "Think of someone everyone likes"... Ugh, that meant Beyonce *eye roll*. She's not my favorite and here's why...

Everyone worships her! She has the Bee Hive and she even hypes herself up. I mean, look at her Instagram! I'm not jealous and I'm not judging (okay, maybe a little on that one) but she could tell people to lick the bathroom floor and people will do it! So here's what I said...

"The celebrity I would have dinner with is Beyonce because I want to know if she is a feminist or not." 

-____-

So here is my reaction: 1.) sucky answer! Or at least not thorough enough. 

2.) What I meant was she has such a big influence on people, teaching them what "surf board" meant and what not. She can easily influence people to go to school, get a higher education, get married, have children, loving God... something more meaningful than "surf board". If she came out with a Hooked on Phonics song, people would be geniuses! I wonder if she declares herself a feminist or if she just calls herself "empowering" women. Is she really empowering them though? She may sing about "Pretty Hurts" and "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" but where's the substance behind it all?

I am challenging Beyonce's Feminist Status!

Maybe because I am not a fan, I do not see how she empowering or encouraging feminism; Because she most certainly isn't educating people on it. Yes, yes, she had the poet on her "Flawless" song but she didn't even acknowledge the poet or the poem itself in the song lyrics. The only thing I see empowering is when I feel EMPOWERED to dance to her song's catchy beats and lyrics.  I am hoping that her fans do their research on what feminism is, all the different forms. She, at least, exposed it to people who may not have even thought about it. I'll give her that credit.

I am not a Beyonce hater BUT I see potential in her to inspire more fans and educating them. She knows her fans or Bee Hivers worship her. Utilize it! Make something come out of it instead of CDs and repetitive song lyrics that become picture captions on IG. Sorry, not sorry Bey.

But the pageant went well. I did not win but I am still a winner in my own eyes. I did my best and live by my platform every day: Women's Empowerment.