Feminism In If I Were A Boy By Annette Koloyonce

“Money gives men the power to run the show. It gives men the power to define value. They define what is sexy. And men define what is feminine,” (Hobson 3). The idea of an overpowering patriarchal society is still present today and necessitates the advancement of feminist beliefs. A feminist could be described as someone who believes in political, social and economic equality of males and females alike. Feminist, Annette Kolodny, believes that feminism is about “establishing, reflecting, and maintaining an asymmetrical relationship between women and men” (Kolodny). In the song, “If I Were A Boy,” Beyonce analyzes what happens in a tense relationship between a male and female. She sings about what it would be like to escape the disadvantages …show more content…
Women have always been expected to look their best and adhere to the “proper” standards of beauty and fashion at all times. This topic is addressed in the first verse of “If I Were a Boy” when Beyonce says that, as a man, “I’d roll out of bed in the morning and throw on what I wanted and go” (Beyonce). Men can be seen wearing the same thing every day, clothes that are wrinkled, even some things that are dirty or don 't match without being degraded for their appearance. Women are not able to do this and are quickly judged if they wear the same thing too often. In short, women are always expected to look put together. Many women struggle every day trying to maintain the high standards of beauty imposed upon them by society, and when they are out in public, feel like they are constantly being compared to the other females around them. This constant fear of rejection from society causes many anxieties and diseases in women. The beauty standards that women are facing create a society of women that have become even more self-conscious. Many women go to extreme lengths to just be perceived as attractive. Feminists Gilbert and Gubar state that,“women are victimized by a patriarchal society because their bodies are seen as inadequate to those of men” (Gilbert, Gubar). Another stereotype of women that this song addresses is that women shouldn 't chase after men, but they must wait for men to come to them. One lyric that emphasizes this idea is “[If I were a boy] [I’d] chase after girls” (Beyonce). This song thinks that it is unfair that women have to wait around, that women should be able to go out and make a move themselves. Women are not to be seen as chasing after guys in fears that society will view them as promiscuous. We can see this even occurring in younger generations today when girls won’t text a guy