Beyonce

7 Ways to U.P.G.R.A.D.E. Your Blog

beyonce upgrade u
Image by Nat Ch Villa via Flickr Creative Commons

If you’ve had a conversation with me that lasted longer than 10 minutes, I probably in the course of our discussion brought up Beyonce.

Yes, I’m a bit of a stan and proud member of the BeyHive. I even have a ritual of listening to her music every Friday.

Ironically, I don’t listen to Queen Bey to get pumped up to party. I listen to her to get motivated to work. The weekend is my time to turn my attention to building my blog and my business and songs always make me feel like a boss.

One of my favorite tracks to listen to is “Upgrade U” and this song has been playing in my head on repeat lately as I consider all the ways I plan to upgrade my blog for 2016. Here’s how you can do the same.

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Have you heard the new Beyonce songs?

Beyonce Ring Off
Image by Caroline Delaney via Flickr/Creative Commons

If you know me well you know I am a huge Beyonce fan. So I felt like a kid on Christmas morning when I heard that two new songs from her upcoming platinum edition of Beyoncé  had leaked.

Initially, I was rather underwhelmed by “7/11,” an unremarkable club track that just reminded me why I no longer go clubbing.

But I must admit that the video is ridiculously fun and makes me want to plan a girls trip ASAP.  The more I watch the video, the more “7/11” grows on me. Beyonce, what kind of spell do you have on me?!

The better of the two songs, by far, is “Ring Off.” In this loving lyric to her mother, Bey sings about how she now understands the struggles of being in a failing marriage and acknowledges the sacrifices her mother made through the years:

You used to dress and fix your hair/ then you’d smile through your tears/ In the mirror you would stare and say a prayer/ like I wish he said I’m beautiful/ I wish it didn’t hurt at all/ I don’t know how I got here/ I was once the one who had his heart…

But this is no sad love song. Beyonce declares that that Ms. Tina has taken that “ring off” and now “the fun begins” and she “can love again” and now she’s happier than ever.

Click here to check out both songs for yourself.

 

Each day in November for #bloglikecrazy I’ll be publishing a blog post that answers your questions about blogging, social media, writing, wellness or women’s empowerment. Send your questions to javacia@seejanewritebham.com.

UPDATED: Why do you call yourself a feminist?

Beyonce Femininst VMAs

I am a feminist.

But apparently TIME magazine has a problem with that, or at least a problem with the fact that Beyonce and other celebrities are boldly claiming this title, too.

Earlier today TIME announced its picks for the magazine’s annual worst words poll, which gives readers the chance to vote on what overused word should be banned in the coming year. Previous picks include “OMG,” “YOLO,” and “twerk.”

This year’s candidates include words like “bae,” “basic,” “sorry not sorry,” “I can’t even,” and “yaaasss.”

Also on the list is the word “feminist.”

Wait. What?

Why exactly would you want to ban a word that’s about promoting equality of the sexes?

Well, here’s why, according to TIME:

You have nothing against feminism itself, but when did it become a thing that every celebrity had to state their position on whether this word applies to them, like some politician declaring a party? Let’s stick to the issues and quit throwing this label around like ticker tape at a Susan B. Anthony parade.

Look, I get it. Plenty of folks are worried that feminism is becoming trendy and that celebrities, and as a result their fans, are taking on the title of “feminist” simply because they think it’s the fashionable thing to do right now and not because they’re actually concerned about gender inequality. But to write off the word as tired slang? Girl, bye! (Sorry. Has that been banned yet?)

I am a feminist and I called myself one long before Beyonce had the word emblazoned on a huge screen at her shows, but I can’t deny that seeing the word in lights on stage gave me chills.

I am a feminist because I believe in gender equality. I am a feminist because I believe in the power of sisterhood. And I think it’s important that I boast that label because it can spark conversations about important issues and because I can help dispel ridiculous stereotypes about feminists being man-hating monsters.

I think feminist writer Jill Filipovic best described why including “feminist” in this list is so problematic. First of all, “feminist” is hardly a label that everybody is “throwing around like ticker tape.” As Filipovic writes:

According to one recent poll, only 1 in 5 Americans identifies as a feminist. Perhaps if more women and men heard their favorite male and female celebrities owning the word “feminist,” they’d find the term less threatening and, by extension, think through some of the tougher social, cultural, political, and economic changes necessary to achieve gender equality. Because while TIME is suggesting we ban the word, American women still make just 78 cents to a man’s dollar, only 1 in 5 U.S. senators is female, 1 in 4 women experiences intimate partner violence in her life, and women still see their most basic rights to make their own decisions about their own bodies used as political wedge issues and litigated in court.

But never mind all that, because TIME finds it very annoying when celebrities are asked about feminism.

So if you’re wondering why I call myself a feminist, all that is exactly why. And if you’re tired of hearing me talk about it — sorry (not sorry).

UPDATE: Time managing editor Nancy Gibbs has added the following editor’s note to the poll: “TIME apologizes for the execution of this poll; the word ‘feminist’ should not have been included in a list of words to ban. While we meant to invite debate about some ways the word was used this year, that nuance was lost, and we regret that its inclusion has become a distraction from the important debate over equality and justice.”

Each day in November for #bloglikecrazy I’ll be publishing a blog post that answers your questions about blogging, social media, writing, wellness or women’s empowerment. Send your questions to javacia@seejanewritebham.com.

Life Is But a Dream

There’s often chatter on some of my favorite blogs about whether superstar Beyonce is or isn’t a feminist. Her girl power anthems, all-female band and determination to be independent lead some to say that Bey is absolutely a feminist. But some look to her sexy persona and performances and say she’s a pawn to the male gaze. Some folks even complain about her decision to name her upcoming tour “The Mrs. Carter Show.”

Despite the fact that I’ve been waving the flag of feminism for years, I actually don’t care whether or not Beyonce has the label of “feminist.” She continues to inspire me regardless. 
I had no intentions of writing about her HBO documentary, Life Is But a Dream, that debuted tonight. But when I found myself scribbling down notes throughout the program, I knew a blog post was about to be born. 
Believe it or not, sometimes I do have reservations about calling myself a feminist, but not because of the negative connotations and terrible misconceptions people have about what being a feminist means. Sometimes I feel as if feminism doesn’t fully describe my politics, my life mission or my love for and devotion to women. Feminism is simply a belief in the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes. But my desire to improve the lives of women and help them express themselves is about so much more than equality. It’s about sisterhood.
In the documentary Beyonce describes how much her love for women influences her work. She says, “I’m always thinking about women and what we need to hear.” And with those words she describes exactly why I blog and why I started See Jane Write. 
Beyonce goes on to talk about how important it is for women to have conversations with other women and how much she grows from those heartfelt discussions. I feel the same way, which is why I want to build community here on this blog and offline through See Jane Write networking events. 
Life Is But a Dream is a compelling documentary because it reminds viewers that Beyonce is human. Yes, her life is acutely different from ours, but she still has insecurities and heartache, hopes and dreams. She’s a woman of faith. And when she’s talking about her husband you see she’s still a girl in love with a boy, and suddenly the fact that she’s calling her new tour the Mrs. Carter Show makes you smile.
But obviously it’s when Beyonce talks about her concern for women that she makes my feminist heart flutter. In the documentary during a segment on her Billboard Music Awards performance of “Run the World (Girls)”  she says: 

It really pisses me off that women don’t get the same opportunities as men do or money for that matter because let’s face it: money gives men the power to run the show. It gives men the power to define our values and to define what’s sexy and what’s feminine. And that’s bullshit. At the end of the day it’s not about equal rights it’s about how we think. We have to reshape our own perception of how we view ourselves. We have to step up as women and take the lead and reach as high as humanly possible. That’s what I’m going to do, that’s my philosophy and that’s what “Girls” is all about. 

Yes. This. 
I love that she puts the ball in our court. If you see an injustice or disparity around you, do something about it! It’s time out for whining about men or “the Man” holding us down. It’s time that we take control of our careers and our creativity. 
It’s time to take control of your life so it can finally look just like the one you live in your dreams.