TOW #17 - Beyonce's Radical Halftime Statement (Written)

As one of the biggest events in the United States, the Superbowl always receives its fair share of appreciation and criticism. The halftime show, an ever growing spectacle, likes to be big, bold, and brash--but not anything beyond that. Highly politicized or controversial messages are often panned by the doughy faces of Fox News as inappropriate. However, this year, Beyonce performed her brand new song, "Formation," at the show with a slew of allusions to racial tensions in America. Her lyrics openly encourage the empowerment of black women. All this has, of course, drawn in criticism. But in "Beyonce's Radical Halftime Statement," Spencer Kornhaber argues that Beyonce's specific, targeted message is more far-reaching than one that operates on false pretenses of universality. To accomplish this, Kornhaber contrasts the performances of Beyonce and Bruno Mars at the Superbowl Halftime Show with the performance of Coldplay.

Using descriptive language, Kornhaber paints two wildly contrasting images of the halftime performance. He describes the Coldplay stage setup as "a legion of human Pikmin with flower-pedal umbrellas, a youth orchestra’s members playing tie-dyed violins, and Coldplay in the middle of it all, wearing white." Then, he said of the accompanying performers, "Both Beyoncé and Bruno wore black. They dressed the same as the people they stood shoulder to shoulder with...There was no racial subtext to this, just text. Mars’s crew was B-boying. Beyoncé’s was channeling black radical movements and Michael Jackson in 1993." In contrasting these two performances, Kornhaber emphasizes the weakness of one band in comparison to the strength of the other musical performers. With specific references to the events of the show, Korhnhaber demonstrates that Beyonce and Bruno Mars had genuine messages to convey. They were displaying pride for their own identities, racial or otherwise. Although their performances were almost militant in their uniform style, Kornhaber argues that they were more appealing in their authenticity than the bromides of Coldplay's.

Although Beyonce has one of the most dedicated legion of fans in the music industry, her work still faces criticism. Kornhaber's article is an important reminder that Beyonce's simple statement, "I slay," is a rebellion against the racism of American society. It is a message that everyone, especially young black women, need to hear. Such a subversion of power cannot be more appropriate for Middle America.