Comments on: Beyonce: Tricked Out And Ready To Ride

By: Candy Strawberry78

Candy Strawberry78 — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 00:28:00 +0000

my cuzin made the motercycle she was ridin

By: Nicole

Nicole — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 04:15:59 +0000

Damn the motorcycle, there is a picture of the devil on the thing. Look at the face of the motorcycle, the devil with horns of fire.

By: jennifer

jennifer — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 19:26:28 +0000

Look up the illuminati theory etc etc. There is so much to it and very heavy, but her husband has been rumored to be a part of this group. The symbol on the motorcycle is a sign of the devil. Also the rest of the insert she is wearing triangle earrings and posed in a triangle. Its funny that things arent always what they seem or things that are so blatantly in our face may have more of story to it.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 09:53:35 +0000

It’s true, not quite the same as making the man pay for all of her own stuff…funny, though, how horribly that song would have come across if a boy band had been singing about women getting kicked to the curb for running up their bills!

Mostly, though, I still haven’t forgiven poor Beyonce for the word “automo-bills.”

By: Philyra

Philyra — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 05:19:52 +0000

That is a very true and interesting comment. Although it must be said that Beyonce wanted her man to pay those automobills because he was running around spending her money that she earned on himself….it’s something.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 09:18:44 +0000

“Does fierceness represent a real empowerment of women, or an apparently threatening statement which is really not a real challenge to established gender roles?”

I think that Beyonce’s idea of “empowerment of women” is quite different from mine, yours, or that of the women who visit this site. Her lyrics (“if you like it then you shoulda put a ring on it”? Hmm) have the same messages as 50s/60s girl group ballads, but with more contemporary slang. Empowerment tends to mean either using sex appeal to threaten your man into making a commitment and paying the automobills, or pulling out the vulnerability to chastise him for being unfaithful or taking her for granted. In other words, women’s power comes from how they’re seen and used by men.

No need to look for hidden messages in the promo photos when it’s all there in the lyrics.

By: Matt K

Matt K — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 00:28:20 +0000

One important note for those who maybe are a little confused by some of the interpretations on offer: when looking at a picture like this, intention doesn’t always matter in the way you might think it does. It’s a bit like the old “death of the author” idea, except that we are acknowledging that the author is not an atomic individual — zie exists in a society which holds to certain values and norms.

Thus, we aren’t necessarily asking “what are the artist’s reasons for choosing this outfit” so much as “what does this outfit represent?” Some people note that this picture is in line with Beyonce’s “fierce” image. Does fierceness represent a real empowerment of women, or an apparently threatening statement which is really not a real challenge to established gender roles?

Right now I don’t have any definite answers, just offering some things to think about.

By: Philyra

Philyra — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 23:41:52 +0000

I don’t even think it’s really objectifying; from what I can see the garment is the motorcycle, not Beyonce, and she is riding it.

By: Philyra

Philyra — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 23:39:56 +0000

Because it’s interesting? I just don’t see that this particular piece makes any strong statement about the sociological context it was conceived in besides the connection between the artists involved.

By: Ann

Ann — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 23:04:18 +0000

And the outfits are chosen for a reason, so comes the question: what may that reason be?

By: Matt K

Matt K — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 19:35:03 +0000

To the folks who want to say “lighten up”, this isn’t a fashion blog — it’s a sociology blog. Telling the author what she should and shouldn’t write about is a pretty shitty thing to do. If you aren’t interested in discussing or analyzing a particular image, nobody is forcing you to.

By: Philyra

Philyra — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 04:10:38 +0000

Lighten up, it’s just fashion.

Much of the Sasha Fierce image involves presenting the work of avant garde designers, i.e. Thierry Mugler, who designed the costumes for her most recent tour, and Gareth Pugh. These designers benefit from having one of the biggest celebrities in the world promote their work to an unfamiliar mainstream audience and Beyonce gains access and credibility in the fashion world that benefits her brand (and probably helps her mother Tina gaining credibility her own label, House of Dereon, as well).

By: Ann

Ann — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 22:48:11 +0000

Maybe it’s there for two reasons?

A – those who recognise it might go, “Hey, she knows her stuff!” since she’s drawn on Bob Fosse’s choreography before in her Single Ladies video

B – the (intended, secondary?) impression that Beyonce is fierce, sexual and wild by wearing this as the character Sasha Fierce.

By: karinova

karinova — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 02:39:41 +0000

What exactly is being “promoted” here?
I don’t even get it. Like several other commenters, I instantly recognized Thierry Mugler’s art-piece-slash-bustier from coming on 20 years ago now. Its presence seems so random; I don’t get it. Why is it here?

Also? Did they not realize that this particular garment is so awesome (I sew; it fills me with awe) that it makes anyone wearing it practically disappear? It’s not meant to be worn. That’s madness. To wear it is to become all but a headless museum mannequin. From a promotional point of view, it’s a fail of a choice. Honestly, in a photo like this, a human model is literally beside the point. Poor Beyonce/Sasha.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 19:45:34 +0000

Wonder Woman is not exactly a role you’d give to Meryl Streep; no doubt Beyonce has all the necessary assets for it.

If she wanted to play Harriet Tubman, I’d be less convinced…