Gosh, let them live!

I had refused to bring up this topic but we might as well do this. Recently, people – well - mostly women from North America and Europe; have been up in arms about Beyonce’s sexy photo shoot for GQ magazine and the narcissistic celebrity she was portrayed as in the interview. Some women give her credit while others wonder if she is harming the whole feminism movement and taking us back a few years. For example, in The Guardian’s article “Beyonce: being photographed in your underwear doesn’t help feminism” Hadley Freeman, gives credit to Beyonce about identifying the pay gap but at the same time criticises her for jumping on the front page in knickers with barely a shirt and also for showing her storage room full of every picture she has ever done.Personally, I didn’t feel anything negative about the photo shoot or the interview. I guess I like many people have become accustomed to seeing women in minimum clothing on magazine covers whether the target audience is women or men. Also, I have watched cribs and all these women ‘celebs’ always have pictures of themselves around their houses. I do not think any of this should result in Beyonce not being seen as a role model to some people.Beyonce is a celebrity, let us never forget this. I continue to see her as a role model. If you have ever watched clips of her preparing for shows, you would be lying if you didn’t admire how much work and passion she puts into her shows, I can only wish I one day have a job that makes me wake up every single morning with that kind of drive to do better with every project.In regards to the clothing or should I say lack of clothing in her photo shoot or other women who are featured on magazine covers with little clothing, I give them props for that (who still gives props?!). These women put in work for their bodies. Most of them live very healthy lifestyles and their careers depend on them doing so, if they are able to work out twice a day, cater to their husband, handle their business and take care of their children, why shouldn’t they be allowed to be their own version of sexy on a magazine cover? If I looked as good as Beyonce after giving birth, I would be flaunting my body everywhere not because I want men to admire me so I can feel sexy, not at all, just because I take care of myself and at her age, she looks great.My fellow women, let’s not let people like Freeman define what is feminism and put us in a box. There are too many types of feminists out there to have one type and if she feels like the movement is not moving in the right direction, maybe she could consider that there are different directions.Let those celebrities live!