By MAEVE WALSH
COLUMNIST
Sometimes, it’s not about what you wear, but how you rock what your wearing. We use clothes to express ourselves, but how we carry ourselves in them is how we define ourselves. Just like we look to designers to show us the latest trends then, we look for someone who is the perfect example of confidence, glamour, and power. In other words, we look to Beyonce.
Beyonce hasn’t sparked the world of fashion: she hasn’t created a trend like Kylie Jenner, inspired designers in the way Kate Moss has, or cause items to sell out overnight like Kate Middleton. But she has a very important quality; an atmosphere that makes whatever she does command attention. She doesn’t need to wear a certain type of shirt because we print her face on shirts; she doesn’t need to start a trend because she has started a movement. So, why is Beyonce so enticing? Why is she the model for who we want to be in our clothes, rather then a model of what clothes to be wearing?
1. She is a Boss: We know Beyonce for her music, but she is also a boss. According to Forbes Magazine, she is the most powerful celebrity in the world, and according to Times the most influential person. She is the highest paid African American Artist of all time, and she even won an award for an article she wrote for for Essence Magazine in 2012. She’s the third most honored women in Grammy History, and has a net worth in the hundreds of millions. Beyonce shows that shes not only multitalented, but driven, passionate, and worthy of attention for her achievements not just her beauty.
2. She’s Private: Beyonce shows us that beauty dosnt have to ask for attention. Shes one of the view people that, while in the business of entertainment, does not constantly update the world on the state of her private life. This not only makes her enigmatic, but generates respect. It is often execrated of female entertainers to be constantly in the public eye with news of breakups or breakdowns, and Beyonce rises above that to keep the focus on her work, not her personal life.
3. She’s a Positive Role Model: Yonce is absolutely stunning, and though she has curves that could kill, she uses her power for good not evil. She has singlehandedly shown females everywhere that no matter what your body type, you can and should demand respect and autority. In her song ***Flawless, she uses a soundbite from Chimananda Ngozi Adichie’s TED Talk about feminism, saying “Feminist: a person who believes in the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes.” Beyonce renounces the stigma associated with being a feminist, shows her version of feminism by living it. By being a power figure in the business world, and by unapologetically owning her body, Beyonce has created a movement that shows girls really do run the world.
4. She is Iconic: Perhaps Beyonce’s most important achievement has not been an award. Beyonce has, from the very beginning of her career, stuck to her message of professionalism, power, and perseverance. Ambition is her moto, and her message of belief in oneself belongs on a motivational poster. Shes taught the world to see business women different, preaching in her songs about men “finding your equal”. She reminds us that she does have a family and is married, but she is not defined by her relationship. She uses her music as a platform for positive messages rather then repeating the same kitsch lyrics heard on every radio station, making her a definite role model.
Beyonce embodies so many positive characteristics its virtually impossible to find fault in the world of Yonce. With a voice like an angel and a business empire rivaling Rockefeller, what doesn’t Yonce have? The answer: nothing.