“I wanted to break all of the stereotypes”: Beyonce Took Extreme Measures So That Hollywood Stop Seeing Her as the “Angry Black Woman”
Beyonce is one of the most successful artists to ever exist on this planet. Queen Bey, is now a household name only because of the efforts she has put in throughout her whole life. Over the years she has time and again proved herself to be worthy of being called an icon. From being a talented performer to a businesswoman, she has got everything covered. She truly runs the world, but it wasn’t always her oyster. She had to make great sacrifices in order to turn her dreams into reality and to become the artist she is today.
Although the artist has been really private about her life in recent years, an exclusive interview is where she chose to share a tiny piece of her story. In an interview with Harpers Bazaar, the artist opened up about the hardships she went through, the pressure she felt growing up, and more.
Beyonce wasn’t allowed to make a mistake when she was younger
Beyonce’s musical talent is undeniable. In a career that spans over two decades, she has released six solo albums, four with her group Destiny’s Child, and countless other hit singles. She has won the Grammys more than any other female artist in history and has sold over a hundred million records worldwide. That’s a pretty tough record to break. Her list of achievements is endless, the impact she has had on millions simply cannot be put into words.
To make it big in the entertainment industry Beyonce had to make some pretty big sacrifices in her life. She felt the need to be flawless not only because of her gender but also for her skin color. Thus, she felt she could not afford to make any mistakes growing up. Beyonce was nothing like her fellow teenagers, she was a dedicated dreamer desperate to write her own destiny. She said,
“My teenage years were about the grind.—My energy went into Destiny’s Child and the dream of us getting a record deal and becoming musicians.”
If something was not aiding the Halo singer in her objective to reach her goals, she simply abandoned it. She said,
“If something wasn’t helping me reach my goal, I decided to invest no time in it. I didn’t feel like I had time to “kiki” or hang out. I sacrificed a lot of things and ran from any possible distraction.”
As a result, she believed her teenage years were essential for laying the foundation of her career and never voiced a complaint, but just kept working towards her goals quietly until the day her visions were brought to fruition.
Beyonce wanted to shatter all the stereotypes
Beyonce from an early age, was trained to be a perfectionist. Being a black woman in the entertainment industry only added to her pressure to be perfect. Black women are often expected to perform to a higher standard than their peers, and a single mistake from someone of that race is seen as a failure of their entire race. And exactly because of this fear Beyonce was unwilling to have any room for even the slightest of flaws.
In the interview she said,
“I felt as a young Black woman that I couldn’t mess up. I felt the pressure from the outside and their eyes watching for me to trip or fail. I couldn’t let my family down after all the sacrifices they made for me and the girls.”
She then further continued,
“That meant I was the most careful, professional teenager and I grew up fast. I wanted to break all of the stereotypes of the Black superstar, whether falling victim to drugs or alcohol or the absurd misconception that Black women were angry. I knew I was given this amazing opportunity and felt like I had one shot. I refused to mess it up, but I had to give up a lot.”
Beyonce realized the weight of the opportunity she was handed unlike others and thus continued to push herself and her art, which in turn also pushed her community forward while inspiring millions on the way. Although her journey to success was filled with challenges and sacrifices, she was able to overcome them with grace and determination.
Source: Harpers Bazaar
