CULTURAL INTEGRETIES WITHIN THE MEDIA
Cultural Integrities Within the Media and
The Comparison of Beyoncé Knowles & Jay Z
Julia M. Hurt
CO 322-51
27 April 2014
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Abstract
This paper explores articles that expose how the media represents two highly influential
musicians of the opposite gender. Although the media is a pervasive and profoundly influential
socializing force, our cultural manipulates the portrayal of each gender when pertaining to artist
in the music industry. Beyoncé Knowles is multi-platinum, Grammy Award-winning recording
artist who is much admired for her exhilarating vocals, videos, and lives shows. While her
husband, Jay Z is one of the world’s best-selling artists of all time and is known for his poetically
controversial and influential rap/hip hop lyrics. This power couple dominates the music industry,
and has the capacity to change social norms whenever they please.
The comparison of these two leading music artists in the country is noteworthy. Not only
are both of these artists African American, but also they both produce relatively the same genre
of music, and reach towards the same general target audience. These two entities are married,
hold reasonably the same status in the industry, and have often many times incorporated each
other in their work. As I have mentioned the various similarities between the supremacy couple,
are both individuals truly viewed and portrayed equally within the mass media? This paper
examines the research behind whether or not this phenomenon is an issue within our cultural or if
it pertains to gender. This is manifested when comparing all aspects of these individuals’ lives
such as; news stories, websites, photographs, magazine covers, album covers, song lyrics, and
music videos. It is through these examples that we notice the difference between how the media
values and portrays each person.
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When researching both Jay Z and Beyoncé on Google, it is challenging to find any
substantial information regarding either of them. Google filters websites by what page is visited
most frequently, and the ten tops pages for both of them concern biographies, social medias,
gossip, celebrity news, and scandals— mostly information with no educational value. However,
it is significant to realize that there is a difference within the media of how both of these
individuals are being portrayed. What is emphasized in the media alternates for both individuals
when it comes down to professionalism, attractiveness, family, work, and other aspects in their
lives.
Beyoncé has always advocated to empower women, and to take away the spotlight on the
two roles for women of being a wife and a sexual object. She is very successful, but also very
contradicting in this sense. She campaigns against the media portraying and deeming women as
sexual objects, but in return she is identified as a sexual object. A recent and global example is
when Beyoncé participated in a cover photo shoot for GQ (men’s magazine) right before the
Super Bowl of 2013. The article relating to her pictures includes a first sentence stating,
“Beyoncé is ready to receive you”(Wallace, 1). Of course this sentence is meant for relation to
football, but what else does it imply? Along with her more than half naked pictures, she was
deemed as a sexual icon to advertise for the 2013 Super Bowl. Referring to her other concept of
empowerment, and women not only be viewed as wives, her latest tour is titled Mrs. Carter
(Dockterman, 1). Using her husband’s last name for a tour that has been controversially
considered one of the most feministic millennial tours in her genre of music. For a woman who
fights strongly against the media’s tendencies of poorly portraying women, she is not one to be
held accountable or creditable for her same actions that help the media continue their endeavors
of labeling women.
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The article The Feminine Mystique, by Betty Friedan relates to how Beyoncé is helping
the mass media depict women. As Friedan states, “The image of woman that emerges from this
big, pretty magazine is young and frivolous, almost childlike; fluffy and feminine; passive, gaily
content in a world of bedroom and kitchen, sex, babies, home… the only goal a woman is
permitted in the pursuit of a man”(Friedan, 36). When analyzing Beyoncé’s magazine covers, it
is rare to find a picture where she looks dominating. In almost all of her pictures, the camera is
focused on the position of her body. This is relatable to Friedan’s conclusion of childlike poses.
Showing the difference between her thin waste, and wide hips, large buttocks and breast. In
almost all her published photos for Vogue, GQ, Essence, Cosmo, Allure, she has a seductive
passive emotion on her face, or she is not directly looking at the camera. She is viewed as
submissive, but through her work she tries to be dominate stating what is right for a women to do
and what is not. Her latest album coincides with what Friedan states about women pursing men,
except Beyoncé provides what women should be doing for their man. This is exemplified in her
song Partition, where simple submission to “your man” is what a female needs to do. She
continues to imply within her lyrics, that it is important to please your man. Yet again, another
example of how Beyoncé is portraying herself within the media, and how it is adding to the
media portrayal of women.
The reason I pointed this altercation out, is for individuals to realize that maybe it is not
the media who is portraying this female in a certain way, rather Beyoncé using her features to
emphasize herself in the media. This is once again apparent in her most recent song titled,
Partition. Bill O Reilly, an American television host states, “Partition’s music video, is a raunchy
homage to strippers that completely lacks class, an abrupt departure from earlier, tasteful
work”(Sheffield, 1). After watching this music video, the scenes truly do mimic a car picking up
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a hooker. As many people have negatively commented on Beyoncé’s extreme exploitation of
herself, she released an interview, “Self-Titled Part 4. Liberation” stating,
Yes. I was very aware of the fact that I was showing my body. I was 195lbs when
I gave birth. I lost 65 lbs. I worked crazily to get my body back. I wanted to show
my body. I don’t at all have any shame about being sexual and I am not
embarrassed about it. I don’t feel like I have to protect that side of me, because I
do believe that sexuality is a power that we all have (Beyoncé).
Sexuality is powerful, it is used within our media to manipulate, advertise, and skew images of
women. The media portrays Beyoncé as this sexual figure that is attempting to redefine
feminism, yet is contradicting her actions when doing so.
Beyoncé is admired for her work because it is cohesive with the social norms within our
society. She is identified as these powerful women who is viewed as her own person, but when
researching her there is no evidence of this. Her albums covers continue to portray her with
barley any clothes—because we know, sex sells. Her music videos incorporate lingerie, hooker
scenes, and her dancing for her husband at a strip bar. Beyoncé cries for equality, defines
feminism in her song titled “Flawless”, but exploits her female sexuality to make millions. The
articles concerning Beyoncé did not seem sexiest to me because I view her a women who uses
her sexuality to be successful within the music industry. Every article about Beyoncé, even in
Forbs Magazine and New York Times revolves around discussing her sexuality. The media does
not focus on her accomplishments or her work for what it is, rather, how attractive she is, and
what more she can do by being sexual.
Conversely, Beyoncé’s husband Jay Z is comparably portrayed differently within the
media. The articles concerning him are mostly related to his work. For example, he participated
in two marketing strategies involving Samsung and Bing. Due to his success of marketing his
new book and music, multiple articles are extensively viewed causing a higher popularization of
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feed through social networks and search engines. Jay Z is known for his work. His album covers
consist of either smoothly designed architectures, and occasionally images of him with the
camera facing up—deceived in a god-like posture. Jay Z’s intelligent lyrics relate to history, and
famous pictures. For example, Natalie Robehmed a forbs journalist wrote an article tilted, JayZ’s Magna Carta Lyrics: A $493 Million Art Collection, stating “Jay-Z’s 12th studio album,
Magna Carta Holy Grail, his most artistically inclined, overflowing with references to artwork—
around $493 million worth”(Robehmed, 1). His work is clever, and unusually compared to most
rappers who converse about sex, women, and drugs.
Not only has Jay-Z proven himself within his lyrics, but also his ability to become an
entrepreneur and provide advice to his audience by selling his book, Empire State of Mind. The
media, such as articles from Forbs, New York Times, Huffington Post, and many more have
written all about his entrepreneurial mindset. Focusing on his accomplishments, where he has
come from, to where he is now. This in comparison to his wife Beyoncé is not the same. Her
work relates to sexuality, while his is more content based focusing on his accomplishments and
his style. When comparing both of these individuals’ websites, Jay Z’s contains content, his
songs, lyrics, biographies, his family members, who is in his life, and mostly focusing on his
work and the achievements he has accomplished. While Beyoncé’s, is literally a collage of
photos, with no content unless one were to clink on a link. In magazine covers, Jay Z has been
featured in Time, Rolling Stones, GQ, XXcLusive, with dominating photos—emphasizing his
importance within the music industry.
The articles I analyzed on both persons are from the same notoriously known websites as
I mentioned earlier. The difference is the content that each article provides. This is relatable to
what we have learned in class. Although this may seem as a gender issue in the mass media, it
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actually pertains to how our culture perceives gender. Culturally, we live in a society where
males have been dominating in various aspects of society, such as; the work force, education,
wealth, and power. Fortunately, this is gradually changing due to female’s pursuing equal
opportunities that are constantly challenging their gender. It is fascinating how Jay Z and
Beyoncé are both equally successful in the same career field, but are portrayed differently in the
media. Sexism still exist currently in society
Resources:
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Beyonce Album Covers . (n.d.). Discography .
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http://www.mtv.com/artists/beyonce/discography/
Beyonce Official Website . (n.d.). Beyonce .
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http://www.beyonce.comess
Dockterman, E. Flawless: 5 Lessons in Modern Feminism From Beyoncé. Opinion .
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http://time.com/1851/flawless-5-lessons-in-modern-feminism-from-beyonce/
Forbes, S. Jay-Z: A Lesson On The Power Of Entrepreneurial Capitalism. Forbes. Retrieved
from
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Friedan, B. (1963). The Happy Housewife Heroine . The feminine mystique (). New York: W.W.
Norton.
Jay, Z. (n.d.). Jay z online . Jay Z Official Website ,
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http://www.jayzonline.com/main.php
Jay Z Latest Albums. (n.d.). MTV Artists.
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http://www.mtv.com/artists/jay-z/discography/
Knowles, B. (2014, January 1). "Self Titled" Liberation Part 4.
Retrieved from,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZ12_E5R3qc
Parales , J. (2013). Jay-z is watching, and he knows your friends. New York Times ,
Retrieved from,
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/05/arts/music/jay-z-is-watching-and-he-knows-yourfriends.html?_r=0
Robehmed, N. Jay-Z's Magna Carta Lyrics: A $493 Million Art Collection. Forbes.
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Sescu, A. (2013). Decode jay z. Bing,
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http://lurnq.com/lesson/Decode-Jay-Z-with-Bing-Case-Study/
Sheffield, C. (2014, March 18). Beyonce's Latest Moves Are Holding Women Back. Forbes.
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Wallace, A. Miss Millennium Beyoncé GQ February 2013 Cover Story. GQ Magazine,
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