AKIRA

The Super Bowl is an annual prime event that still has people divided, so let’s dig into the bowl, specifically the 2016 one.

The performance was a staple that brought forth the problematic controversy centered around the injustices black people face and police brutality. The unconventional performance where she sung her hit song “Formation” caused a stir and resulted in a movement called ‘Boycott Beyoncé.’”

The stage appearance itself caused enough stir amongst the crowd. Beyoncé and her dancers were elaborately dressed in all black leather outfits. They topped this off with the signature black beret that the Black Panthers used to sport in the mid-60s.These outfits coincided directly with the Black Panther Party. The Panthers wore the outfits because they were urban militant.

A member of the Panthers said the hats were worn “‘because they were used by just about every struggler in the third world. They’re sort of an international hat for the revolutionary.’ The beret moved to many other groups at the time and became a major part of the uniform for many other groups and extensions of the Black Panther Party” (“The Uniform of The Black Panther Party”).

The party was a group of collective revolutionaries who defended African Americans during times of injustice. They were viewed as a threat by many and are still controversial today. Black people tend to view them as heroes while some non-people of color view them as enemies. Beyoncé is aligning herself with a revolutionary group to change the ideas that black people are criminals and prone to violence and trying to change the face of reality.

The X across her chest that looked like silver bullets. This is a play towards the shootings committed by the police. It is also the bullets that were used by the Panthers to protect the black community. There are multiple images of the Panthers with the same bullets as Beyoncé displayed across their chest. The use of these simple outfit choices is opposing to hegemony because mass culture is run by white men who support the police. They support America and if anything seems to resemble the opposition of it then it is considered wrong. It is so prominent that although she did not mention opposing or rebelling against the police, a message was immediately derived that she didn’t like the police.

Former New York Mayor, Rudy Giuliani, said “This is football, not Hollywood, and I thought it was really outrageous that [Beyoncé] used it as a platform to attack police officers who are the people who protect her and protect us, and keep us alive,” reported by Independent.co.uk.Beyoncé’s message was simply acknowledging the injustices black people face and be an ally while Giuliani represents the thinking of mass culture.

The next appearance that rejected mass culture were the afros the all black crew wore and the all-female cast. Afros are a part of black culture. They are directly linked to African Americans and these are also a part of the injustices that black women tend to face. The afros are symbols of pride amongst the black community. They do not fit into the norm of what is socially acceptable because of the texture. It is not viewed as professional or appropriate hence why so many black women were forced to conform their hair by wearing weave or getting perms.

 

 

The all-female dancers are against mass culture because women are typically not viewed as the first option and black women are viewed as beneath both white women and men altogether. In order for her to keep with her protest, it only made sense that she allied herself with black women who in the words of Malcolm X, are the “most disrespected person [people] in America is the black woman. The most unprotected person [people] in America is the black woman. The most neglected person [people] in America is the black woman”.

The last stage tool that Beyoncé utilizes is fire. The use of fire serves a symbolic purpose for her performance. In order to make a higher impact, she uses theatrics with fire in order to show her anger. It is understood that fire tends to be equated with war, anger, or power. This is most easily related to the 1967 Detroit riots, which stemmed from police brutality.

History.com stated, “by the time the bloodshed, burning and looting ended after five days, 43 people were dead, 342 injured, nearly 1,400 buildings had been burned and some 7,000 National Guard and U.S. Army troops had been called into service” (“1967 Detroit Riots”). The riots were one of the worst and fire was heavily used to express the anger in the community. The use of fire not only showed pain but once everything was cleared, its signified rebirth. Although Beyoncé cannot literally burn down the NFL stadium, she can use it to make her point.

Lastly, the choreography was created in opposition to mass culture. The choreography has many different elements. The first being the X that was formed by the dancers. The X was well thought about because the performance was mainly viewed from above. The dancers paid homage to the illustrious Malcolm X. He was a prominent African American during the Civil Rights Era. He was often viewed as the forceful and assertive leader as opposed to Martin Luther King Jr. His way of thinking was frowned upon by many and he is still portrayed negatively regardless of his intellect and his reform. The use of X during the performance showed support for the leader just like it did for the Panthers. This is another reason why people were upset over the performance. Some felt it was disrespectful and promoted hate.

Following the pro-black dance, she and her dancers raised their fists in the air. The enclosed fist symbolizes black power. It is most notably remembered during the 1968 Olympic ceremony. Tommie Smith and John Carlos lifted their fist in honor of black power, and they were unfairly stripped of their medals because of the action. According to History.com, Smith, who was a part of Army, was kicked out because of his actions” (“Olympic Protestors Stripped of Their Medals”). They chose the ceremony because it was a large platform and knew they could bring show their support for their people. Beyoncé chose to mimic that historic event because she understood what impact her performance would have, just like Smith and Carlos. She too received backlash for her monumental performance. It led to many people screaming for a boycott of Beyoncé. She took that boycott and turned it into profit by selling “Boycott Beyoncé” shirts.

The last notable portion of the performance was the marching band. Beyoncé had the band play during the performance and created an HBCU aura. The feel of the band just secured the rest of the event because it showcased more black talent and provided a different feel to the song. HBCU bands have a different vibe compared to a traditional marching band which makes it a subculture of its own. They have their own theatrics and are able to be distinguished from a regular marching band. The band gave the performance more energy and more soul compared to if she would have stayed with the original music.

Beyoncé’s performance rebukes mass culture because she is a part of the subculture. Hebdige states “subcultures form in communal and symbolic engagements with the larger system” (441). The performance was expressed in a creative style in order to communicate with the larger audience about the prominent issues affecting the black community. Her choreography, hair, lyrics and attire were symbolic in her controversial performance. Beyoncé protested in her own way in support of Colin Kaepernick and opposing police brutality and mass culture. Beyoncé has defied hegemonic standards through her stage appearances, song selection, and choreography during her 2016 Super Bowl performance.