Summary Of Pray You Catch Me By Beyonce

At the interlude between “pray you catch me” and “hold up” Beyoncé uses a spoken word written by Warsan Shire which states “I tried to change/Closed my mouth more/Tried to be softer, prettier – less awake”. The significance of this excerpt is the fact that it ties in well with her over-all struggle with being a black celebrity in a world that expects her to be a form of black that is acceptable. It is also a reflection of what a black woman must do in order to be accepted and fit into this society. By “less awake” Beyoncé is referring to the pressure she has felt to remain out off not speaking up about the issues that have plagued her community. This ties in well with the fact that after the slaying of Trayvon Martin while many celebrities …show more content…
Take for example, Beyoncé’s statement of “Becky with the good hair” in “Sorry”. While the main focus for many has been on who is Beyoncé referring to when saying “Becky” the significance in this excerpt is “good hair”. The term “good hair” is derived directly from the Black communities own colonial history in which when “slaves” reached the plantations they were divided into two groups. The first group were those with lighter skin and straighter hair (“good hair”) who were placed within the household to care for the family and the second group that contained those with darker skin and kinkier hair that were sent to do field work. When the term “good hair” is used it is meant to portray an image of “naturally straight, soft to the touch, long, and closet in texture to white women’s hair” while “bad hair” has portrays an image of Black hair in its natural state “- thick, wooly, an enemy to fine-toothed comb”. Hair for Black women has come to represent more than just fashion, but can be seen as a reminder of slavery and the oppression they have experienced. This idea of “house Negroes” (“good hair”) and “field Negroes” (“bad hair”) has created a division within the Black community that keeps them from coming together. This idea that lighter skin and straighter hair is what is most desirable has come to be internalized within the Black community leading many to change their appearance to assimilate and conform to society 's beauty standards. It is this internalization that the visual album is fighting against and is an attempt to undo the stigma that surrounds a Black woman’s own natural beauty without assimilation. This attempt to undo the stigma is exemplified in the inclusion different generations of Black women, in different shades, and hairstyles. Not only are individuals