Over the weekend I went to a holiday party with some friends. The crowd was a mixture of close friends and some not-so-close friends. Food was good and the conversations are always juicy, especially with Obama taking office in January. So there tends to be a never-ending list of topics we can discuss. But one conversation that just throws warning signs all over the place for me is when a chick starts hatin’ on Beyonce!
I know characterizing someone by their opinions of Beyonce doesn’t sound too scientific, but I have a problem with people, especially Black females, who hate on Beyonce to the nth degree. I mean the chick that goes on and on about why she “aint all that” or “she really can’t sing all that good” is only hating the person they see in the mirror. Okay – I am a fan of Beyonce, but by no means am I an over-the-top fan, and I can identify talent when I see it. So when I see someone blatantly spewing unnecessary hate about a talented Black woman, I take offense. This shows a little self-hatred – better yet, insecurities – in a female in my opinion.
So as I’m adding a little more punch to my cup, I overhear the whole conversation. First the culprit starts talking about how “music isn’t what it used to be,” yet this girl ain’t no older than 27-28 years old. Then she is just “tired of Beyonce” and people need to “stop sweating her.” I make my way right over to interject because this is one of the times where I do feel the need to put someone in their place. More so because I love seeing women excel; if she was talking about Jada Pinkett-Smiith or any other successful Black women, I make it very clear that she is only deepening the self-hatred that has been force-fed to our community for years. Come on now, let’s uplift and praise, rather than belittle each other and speak on unnecessary topics like someone’s weight or whether her weave looks real or not, when they are performing to sold-out crowds and winning Grammys left and right.
Ladies, do not take this as me telling you all to love Beyonce’s music, but rather to love the “Beyonce” in all of us. Look at our triumphs rather than our failures. When I hit it rich (hopefully sooner than later), I want to look around and see my fellow women supporting me and singing my praises rather than defining me by my “love handles.” We are a threat to others, ladies, but we can’t succeed when we tear each other down.
Mrs. Layla
Blackplanet.com/mrslayla
