The Grammy Award winning song “Single Ladies” by Beyonce released in 2008 reveals the social power that men hold over women. In the beginning of the song, the speaker seems to encourage the independence of women to walk away from flawed intimate relationships and thrive by oneself. However, as the song continues, the lyrics display a common theme that men often have the ability to act like dictators to women, restricting them from having equal positions in society.
The inequality of power between genders in the text begins with the speaker’s experience in the club. The speaker states that she is, “up in the club” due to her recent breakup and she is “doing her own little thing” (stanza 2, lines 1-2). While a woman dancing in a club in attempts to focus on more light-hearted topics than a breakup is understandable and reasonable, the following lines display the authority that most men feel entitled to in their relationships with women. The speaker says “You decided to dip and now you wanna trip ‘cause another brother noticed me” (stanza 2, lines
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She asks men “don’t treat me to these things of the world” arguing that she prefers acts of affection (stanza 6, line 1). Although, this request goes against her wishes throughout the song to “put a ring on it” (stanza 3, lines 1-2; stanza 5, lines 1-2). The diversity in the speaker’s proclaimed relationship desires corroborates the personal conflict that she faces of complying with the power that her previous boyfriend maintains over her emotions or being a role model women who displays self-sufficiency for other women in society. Although she experienced issues with her previous boyfriend she almost begs him to “pull me into your arms, say I’m the one you want” showing that even though she may say that she accepts being single, she ultimately longs for a man in her life to take care of her and love her (stanza 6, lines