Race representations
- Police brutality is almost immediately addressed though intertextual references and blatant images of it happening - police cars and sirens can be seen within the beginning of the video, Beyonce is also seen onto of a police car within the New Orleans flooding, highlighting the injustices they have endured, the little boy dancing infant of the police line up, putting his hands up, the graffiti saying ‘stop shooting us’
- the police don’t move when the little boy is performing, they end up putting their hands up, could be a reference to Beyonce’s ideology of police brutality hoping it is eliminated - the combat and riot gear against this one little boy highlights the abuse of power the police bring, It shows the extreme irrational fear and impeded racism within the system
- throughout Beyoncé is represented as an independent powerful woman when she is seen standing on top of the police car numerous amounts of low angle shots are used presenting her in this authoritative role model figure she’s also seen sitting on the car almost man spreading conflicting gender norms and gender expectations and positioning Beyoncé to be powerful.
- the representation of women within the formation music video is also extremely powerful and influential. In countless amounts of shots Beyoncé is seen performing with a group of women all of which are people of colour where they display their natural hair with confidence and embrace their history. The impactful shots like Beyoncé and the women seen sitting in the conventional old houses that slave owners used to own highlights them taking back their power and showing the progression that black people have made where Beyoncé is sitting in the place of a slave owner. ‘okay ladies now lets get in formation’ highlights unity, power, strength
- further connotations of success, wealth and power are seen throughout the video. “you just might be a black bill gates in the making… I just might be a black Bill Gates in the making “this connotes Beyoncé success and highlights her encouraging other people of colour to reach their goals as nothing is impossible Beyoncé being a woman of colour already connotes the power she has overcome and the strength she has to be in her position along with being a woman highlights women empowerment with the reference to Bill Gates it highlights the normal normal expectations of what is to be a rich and successful person within the industry where this rich heterosexual white male is one of the richest man in the world but Beyoncé is making a statement saying that she has a name to replace the stereotypes.
- are use of children also being present within the slave trade owners houses and in the old dresses highlight the racial issues are still not occur today and it is still relevant today just much more structurally embedded within society and represents innocence through white clothing through children
- there are many historical references throughout the video and shots are progressively reaching through time to display the previous racial issues and the current issues are still today. Martin Luther King seen on a newspaper with “More than a dreamer” highlighting the influential and powerful activists and movements people like Martin Luther King created there’s also a possible reference to Malcolm X when the female dancers and Beyoncé formed an the influential and powerful activists and movements people like Martin Luther King created there’s also a possible reference for Malcolm X when the female dancers and Beyoncé formed an X within the dance
- celebrations of black cultures, fashions, hair, dance (sub genre of bounce dance)
- Inclusive with diversity, not just with race but the LGBTQ+ community,
Theorists to include: Paul Gilroy
post colonialist theory - Paul Gilroy’s theory states that since the colonisation of ethnic countries by the British empire, within media we can still see evidence of this happening when ethnic minorities are treated as powerless, weak, dehumanised, marginalised or ‘other’
Within Beyonce’s video although the main message and ideology of Beyonce is to present empowerment and unity, it could be argued that it also contributes to marginalising and making minorities be deemed as ‘other’ due to the specifics presented within the video
Theorists to include: bell hooks
Bell hooks is feminist theory consists of the idea of fighting for equality and how there are displays of inequality and objectifying and sexualisation of women within media with information Beyoncé is seen Ryan tied to clothing and performing to the camera it could be argued that this subverts a feminist point of you as it could be performing for a male audience or to gain more viewing and attention however it also can be argued that Beyoncé is seen as a role model for young women empowering them telling them to embrace their natural hair as a black woman or to understand that they are able to achieve their goals and they are equally as possible and capable as men are.
