Pretty Hurts Analysis Essay

The song “Pretty Hurts” was written by Beyonce Knowles. Known for her empowering anthems, she effectively connects with an audience of women with her gut wrenching ballads and unifying messages. She began her career in the girl group, Destiny’s Child, and embarked on a solo career in 2003. Since then, she has proved to be one of most famous and influential female singers of all time. In the song “Pretty Hurts” by Beyonce Knowles the speaker, a young woman who is dealing with body image issues, illustrates the idea that societal beauty standards are unattainable and harmful for young women. However, the speaker feels that women can overcome the pressure to adhere to these standards and be happy with their bodies. This message is directed toward other young women who, like her, are also affected by these detrimental beauty standards. The video for “Pretty Hurts” starts off with a tentative

Are you happy with yourself?” By repeating this question, the speaker is asking her audience to seriously question their own happiness and if it was falsely cultivated through society’s measures. At that moment of the music video, Beyonce is shown with no makeup, accenting her innate beauty, and she smiles at her reflection. In the last moments of the song, softly sings “Yes”, confirming that she has learned to love herself, the way she naturally is. This sums up and executes the speaker’s main message- that young, impressionable girls should appreciate the beauty they were born with.
On the surface, the song “Pretty Hurts” is about a pageant girl who comes to terms with her insecurities and learns to accept her natural beauty; however, when one looks deeper, the audience understands that the speaker is criticizing society’s beauty standards and its effect on young women. This message is shown through the author’s use of various rhetorical devices including diction, metaphors and