Beyonce Knowles: An Icon In American Culture

Beyoncé Knowles is an icon in American society and one of the most powerful and influential female celebrities. “More than a person; she is a public figure, entertainer, and brand” (Wallace, 2017). She has shifted herself away from a singular figure in society towards a brand which symbolizes broad concepts such as gender, class, and race as well as addresses social movements such as Black Lives Matter (Durham, 2017). On February 6, 2016, Beyoncé surprised her fans by releasing the music video for her new song “Formation” which encapsulates everything she stands for. Through landscape, representation, and performance, Beyoncé comments on the social injustices placed on African Americans and women while embracing black culture. Landscape is a non-neutral, dynamic, animated entity that can reflect gender, race, and power relations. It can be a representation of a location and can also influence feelings towards a location. Thus, “landscape is not only a ‘thing’, but is also an ideological or symbolic process that has the power to

A lot of these clips are taken from a documentary called That B.E.A.T which was intended to inform outsiders about the unique music that comes out of New Orleans and showcase their brand. Beyoncé is targeting all types of groups found in New Orleans and creating a sense of identity for the city. Through the landscape and the charged imagery shown in this music video, an emotional response if evoked (Bertens, 2017). Instead of having people remember New Orleans as just a town which experienced a devastating hurricane, she is showing everyone the abundance of culture which is still very much alive. Beyoncé is celebrating how strong black culture is by representing them in the most positive light while still alluding to the hardships that they have had to