*My open letter to Beyonce*
To say I’m a Beyonce fan is an understatement. To say I’m a Stan might be an overstatement. But I respect and admire a woman who is poised, talented, beautiful, and humble…well, we may have to re-visit the humble part after the release of your newest song, “Bow Down”. The woman who sang such girl power anthems as “Survivor” and “Run the World” is now telling b*tches to “bow down”. And just last month, you wrote the greatest note about how you were so proud to perform next to your girls Kelly and Michelle AND gave props to Jennifer Hudson and Alicia Keys regarding their Super Bowl performances.
We all have haters-and I hate to use that term. No matter what we do in life, someone is not going to like what we do. And that’s totally fine. You aren’t going to please 100% of the people 100% of the time; if you are, something’s wrong. But who was the song directed towards? And why put a song like this out now? You’re 31 years old, a wife, AND a mother. And not just a mother, but you have a daughter-a little girl that is looking up to you and will one day emulate you. I could kind of understand if you put this song out on your first album, when you were a little younger and a little cockier and getting your wings as a solo artist. But to put something out like this now…maybe because you HAVE proved your haters wrong and you HAVE proved that you can do it all. Sort of like a “look at me now”. I get it, kind of. I guess I am just at a point where I don’t really worry too much about what people say about me. But I’m also not in the public spotlight having every little thing I do scrutinized. This song doesn’t even sound like you-the beat, the musicality of it all. I just don’t get it.
When I found out you were coming to DC I was SO excited. So much so, I rounded up some of my girls, and we went through hell and high water to get tickets. Now, I’m re-thinking this whole thing. (Well, not too much since I’ve already paid for my ticket.) Maybe this is just a mid-career crisis and you felt like you had to get some things off your chest. I guess I can respect that. Since your concert is in July, I have about 4 months to get over you telling me to bow down. I take that back. I’m not a b*tch, so I will not take that personally since that was not directed towards me. In the meantime, hopefully with the things that are sure to occur before this summer, I’ll forget about this song and can fully enjoy the Beyonce experience at the Verizon Center. And if not…it’ll be totally unfortunate-for you and for me. For you, because you’ve probably lost the support of one of your biggest fans. For me, because I’ve seen a great woman and entertainer fall just a little.
Your Fellow Southern Girl,
Elle
Southern Girl in the City 
I agree with you that this song is not her, and shouldn’t have been released at this point in her life. It’s such a stark contrast to the structured response to people claiming her pregnancy was faked that she included in her documentary, and even to “Survivor.” Maybe it’s really who she is and how she feels, but her public persona doesn’t extend to calling women b*tches or dropping f-bombs, etc. Some of her songs aren’t exactly humble, but I was told that those songs were her alter ego, Sasha Fierce. Those songs are sassy, not ridiculing or instructing folks to kiss her mama. She needs to take up journaling. It’s really hard to make a song that screams I’m not thinking about my haters without sounding like you are reading too many blog posts about yourself. It’s too bad that so many people worship her that she won’t hear how bad of a move this was or be encouraged to lie on a counselor’s couch and work this out because people depend on her to feed their families. Great post, lady.
Thanks, ma’am! I’m not sure what would possess her to release a song like this. But if she is frustrated by what people are saying about her, this sone was not the right way to let her aggression out.
still haven’t listened to the song. not a beyonce fan but i don’t hate her either. i guess i’m pretty much indifferent towards her. what i don’t like are her stans and how ppl have been indeed bowing down towards her. she’s almost at the point of idol worship. that enough is reason for me to be turned off towards her. i agree with everything you’ve said in the post. i expect something like this from a younger, less-seasoned artist.
You’re right-it’s not her. She has some die-hard super fans. It’s borderline obsession. Well, I can’t even call it obsession. It’s just crazy….
What up Elle? I really don’t feel any kinda way about the song. I don’t listen to Beyonce because her music isn’t for me. But I certainly do not “hate” as you put it. I did listen to this song just to see what the fuss was about and I totally understand the “backlash.” The reality is I think Beyonce has reached that point in her career where it really doesn’t matter what she does. She may lose a few fans here and there because of this song, but at the end of the day her pocket book nor the adulation that people bestow upon her will be affected. The majority of her fans are women and “certain kinds of men” who adore the way she looks, what she has (personally), and her “overall persona and stature.” Until any or all of that changes, she will continue to do whatever she wants, including creating songs like this one. One that I can’t say I would ever go out of my way to listen to again. Nothing against her or her music, it just ain’t for me.
Anyway, love your ambition Elle and your consistency in shedding light on fun and both real topics of the day.
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