Beyoncé’s message throughout her song Formation was that of empowerment, more specifically towards other black women. Beyoncé aimed to show her strength in the face of haters using this song, claiming that they are just being disregarded and she will prove them wrong by succeeding in her life with all she wants. My initial reaction the song was similar to my final conclusion, mainly because I saw the energy and assumed it was a song about empowerment, and especially because of the repetition of the lyric “I slay.” Matsuokas directed the music video in a perfect wat to represent the energy she was trying to convey, very exaggerated movement that seem to basically say “this is me and I do as I like.” The music video complements the song and the song compliments the video. One example of emotive language is when Beyoncé talks about her nose, calling it a “negro nose” which would often be a degraded term, but she uses it to show she owns it. Another example would be when she says she is “reckless” and “possessive” which are generally negative words to describe someone, but she weaves it into her character and her success to basically say “I made it even though I have traits that you wouldn’t like.” Lastly, I believe the controversy about the song stems from the exact haters that Beyoncé targeted with this song, racists and sexists who seek to shun women and people of color from their success by pointing out things that are “wrong” in their eyes.
