Revision: Representation in Formation by Beyonce

Representation in Formation By Beyonce

Messy Mya

• Messy Mya was a popular rapper, comedian, and YouTube star, quite famous within the black and LGBTQ+ communities
• he was famous speaking out, in a controversial way on issues of race, sexuality and Hurricane Katrina
• the use of Messy Mya's voice might signify the genre, the theme of black oppression and discrimination, and may engage her audience
• her target audience may be familiar with Messy Mya and het tribute to him will be very meaningful to many of the target audience
• as Messy Mya was shot and killed, it might also help to emphasise the themes of violent crimes affecting black victims
• Beyonce was sued for sampling Messy Mya without permission, and this might suggest a certain level of disrespect on her part. Perhaps she is trying to give the 'illusion' of supporting black culture on screen for marketing reasons, but sometimes failing to show actual respect in life

That B.E.A.T

• several shots in the video come from a documentary called 'That B.E.A.T' which was about bounce music and fans in New Orleans
• the references to this documentary include blue flashing lights, police uniform, etc, which communicates a theme of police brutality against black communities
• reflects the social , cultural and political context in America, of racial discrimination, police brutality, Black Lives Matter movements, etc, which would be familiar to the target audience
• the shots highlight the conflict that is so common, in America in particular, highlighting binary oppositions between black communities and police
• the use of profanity in lines such as "when he f**k me good I take his ass to the Red Lobster, 'cause I slay" adds an aggressive, passionate feel to the video and to Beyonce, perhaps connoting her power and challenging typical female representations of submissiveness
• the use of reclaimed racial slurs (e.g the n word) might also demonstrate themes of historical discrimination and a desire to reclaim this previously repressed power

Beyoncé

• the loosely framed wide angle shots of her on top of the police car make her seem quite independent
• low angles combined with her confidence and more typically masculine body language make her seem powerful and in control
• the use of words like "cocky" in her lyrics add to her representation as confident and self assured
• her position on top of the police car suggests dominance over the police
• could be a challenge to the context of America, where black people are often represented as dominated by the police
• some audiences reacted badly to this representation and assumed she was 'anti-law enforcement' and therefore Anti-America

Representation

• tracking towards her face, making her the focus of these shots, creates a sense of importance around her
• the costumes and jewellery/accessories connote wealth and success, which is common for artists in many music videos
• this might appeal to her audience who aspire to be her, and see her as a role model
• helps subvert the typical representations of black people often seen in the media as being poorer or less successful (Gilroy)
• the juxtaposition of the historical style clothing/setting, with black people wearing symbols of wealth, might highlight the historical way in which black people were enslaved, as well as drawing attention to the ways in which this has changed
• the use of young children might signify that discrimination is still happening to young black people today
• although their smiling faces, dancing, etc. might connote that the treatment of black people has changed, and there is hope for the black youth of today
• the newspaper reference to Martin Luther King Jr draws attention again to the way racial discrimination has been an ongoing issue for a long time
• her reference to her mother and father's cultural origins suggests she is proud of her heritage and that she is celebrating the rich diversity within America
• 'creole' was a word often used to divide black communities and judge them based on the 'darkness' of their skin tone
• Beyoncé may have used this word to draw attention to negative historical practices, but some audiences found it offensive and decisive

Ethnic Features

• wider noses and larger nostrils is a feature that is common amongst people with black heritage and is often represented by mainstream media as unattractive
• Beyoncé’s reference to liking noises like this makes a strong message about black culture and beauty, and challenges the more colonialist representations in the mainstream media of black features being shown as ‘other’ in comparison to white westernised beauty ideals
• She makes several references to items which often symbolise black culture (e.g specific food items, etc) which may be to celebrate black culture and encourage pride in it
• There is a break in the main song and we hear the voice of Big Freedia, a gay male musician and TV star
• Uses the pronouns she/her and identifies as a gay male, not trans - often misidentified as trans
• Use of Big Freedia would engage an audience familiar with the bounce sub-genre
• Use of celebrity collaborations in music videos represents the artist Beyoncé as successful and popular
• People from non-binary backgrounds and the LGBTQ+ communities are often under-represented in the media, particularly in music videos
• Inclusion of Big Freedia’s voice represents Beyoncé as an inclusive, progressive, accepting artist who is an ally to the LGBTQ+ community
• The tracking shot through the hair salon/shop references the popularity of wigs and hairpieces with many black women
• The variety of hairstyles, fashions and colours on offer in the shot suggests that there is more than one way to be a fashionable black women. Connotes that ethnicity is a diverse and complex thing

Police

• The initial low angles of the police, plus their uniform, makes them seem quite intimidating and powerful in contrast to the boy
• The eye level camera shot encourages the audience to position themselves with the young boy, who seems confident and unaffected
• Initially, the police do nothing which makes them seem non-aggressive which is in direct opposition to what audience may have seen in the media. There have been many incidents of police violence against young black boys in particular
• The binary opposition between the boy and the police draws attention to the division of race relations that seems to be evident in the US and the unnecessary moral panic that many white communities often seem to have about black people
• The music video therefore clearly reflects relevant contexts such as the victimisation of black people, Black Lives Matter movements, institutionalised racism, etc

Women

• The song title and the use of formation style dance routines suggests the women are a tight knit community working well together, united and strong
• Women in the video are often sexualised through the use of costumes and this is very conventional of music videos, especially pop
• So whilst the video often challenges stereotypical representations of ethnicity , there is some quite stereotypical representations of women as sexualised/objectified

Stereotypes

• You could argue the use of the low angle camera shots of women, and the confident body language, represents black women as confident, strong and powerful
• The lyrics show her (and black women) as being confident leaders in charge (e.g. “I see it, I want it, I take it”
• Her references to taking her man to ‘Red Lobster’ (a restaurant), if he pleases her sexually, shows her dominance over male partners

Reasons - why has Beyoncé been presented in this way?

• Her reputation as a ‘political’ artist - someone who wants to affect change
• She has previously taken part in events and campaigns to raise money and support for various issues
• As a black female artist herself, she (and/or her family/friends) may well have experienced discrimination before, and therefore she might be more likely to represent the conflict and division between ethnicities in this way
• She might feel that her female target audience may be engaged by representations of strong women, as they are so used to seeing more submissive representations of women in music videos
• Her black audiences may enjoy the subversion of historic ideas and images relating to black slavery and oppression. They may be entertained by seeing a more powerful representation of black people
• You could argue that the representations have been designed to be unusual and therefore engaging in an attempt to gain more notoriety and therefore money
• The choice to release the song just before the Super Bowl and perform it live during the half time show dressed in ‘Black Panther’ style outfits might suggest that the representations are deliberately overtly political and controversial in order to gather publicity
• Consider whether the video for Formation could be seen as feminist or not? It has both images of strong and powerful women and images of women being sexualised for entertainment value. So its’ messages about women might be seen as confusing
• Does this video promote equality and rights for people of all ethnicities? Does it embrace and welcome all ethnicities? Or could it be seen to exclude anyone who isn’t black? To create divisiveness of its own, a sort of ‘us’ vs ‘them’ representation of race
• Some people may interpret the video as excluding other ethnic groups and showing black people as separate and ‘othered; from the rest of society, even if united together