#Beyonce is sick of your shit, and she let you know that in her most recent video and song. But #Formation wasn’t all about Queen Bee and her will to check the haters and naysayers. The notable philanthropist took the opportunity to also shed light on a number of important issues. From policing to black acceptance, here’s a look at a few of the subliminal messages you might have missed in the Formation video.
- Hurricane Katrina: The houses submerged in water throughout the video take aim at Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans, LA in 2005. Beyonce subliminally addresses the authorities’ relaxed and delayed handling of the citizens of New Orleans in the days following the storm, by resting on a sinking NOPD squad car in the center of a flood.
- Black Features: “I like my baby’s hair, with baby hair and Afros.” Beyonce sings the line as a grinning 4-year old Blue Ivy sways in front of the camera. The line addresses the criticism that Bey received for allowing her daughter to wear her hair in its natural state at an early age. The “baby hair” reference alludes to the common term that many black girls use to refer to curly edges. Beyonce also sings about the criticism that black people face due to the shapes of their noses. The line “I like my negro nose with Jackson5 nostrils,” refers to Bey’s praise of this feature.
- Black Lives Matter: #Beyonce brings attention to the #BlackLivesMatter movement in the video with a young child dressed in a black hoodie dancing freely in front of a line of police officers dawned in riot gear, very reminiscent of what we’ve saw in the aftermath of recent police-involved killings of unarmed black people. The scene ends with the police surrendering to the child while a message of “Stop Shooting Us” is adorned with spray paint on a brick wall.
- Southern Culture: “Mix that Negro with that Creole, make that country bamma.” Beyonce sings the line while referring to herself, a native of Houston, Tx. Formation embodied every bit of southern culture in the video; including everything from soul food to New Orleans’ own bounce music.
- Feminism: Queen Bey is no stranger to feminism, and she did not stray from the topic in Formation. From bragging about splurging on her husband, to relishing in the fact that she can upgrade a man, she owns the idea of not being afraid the be a successful woman.
Take a look at the full video below:
