If you’ve somehow avoided the absolute chaos that exploded throughout social media on Monday after Beyoncé’s Vogue cover dropped, kudos to you. To the rest of the world that hasn’t been living under a rock for the past 24 hours, thank you for joining us.
For those who don’t know, Beyoncé is on the cover of the fashion and lifestyle magazine’s September 2018 edition. Vogue’s annual September issue is known for being the biggest and most important issue, so putting Beyoncé on the cover was really the only logical explanation.
Along with the cover dropping yesterday, Vogue also released her interview, in which she discusses the topics of pregnancy, birth and body acceptance, among others. Needless to say, it wasn’t a disappointment.
During the interview, Beyoncé did something different than most celebrities, especially those who are female; she was completely honest about her own body and weight. Considering that she was being interviewed by the world’s largest fashion magazine, her decision is substantial.
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It’s extremely easy to browse Vogue and see model after model exemplifying unrealistic body expectations, but by discussing her own insecurities and how she overcame them, Beyoncé did something different.
She was able to spread body positivity while reaching a huge platform of regular people, especially women who relate to her struggles. And who doesn’t want to be able to say they have something in common with Beyoncé?
In the article itself, Beyoncé said: “After the birth of my first child, I believed in the things society said about how my body should look … After the twins, I approached things very differently. I was 218 pounds the day I gave birth to Rumi and Sir.”
By addressing society’s expectations, Beyoncé simultaneously shuts them down. In addition, she does what celebrities, and even normal citizens, have been trained to think is absolutely off limits; she directly mentions, and lists, her weight.
Later in the article, Beyoncé describes the difficulties with the birth of her twins in more detail, discussing her cesarean section and how she recovered from the strenuous labor. Additionally, she talks about her vision for Coachella, her reputation and what she’s moving toward.
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Over the past few years, Beyoncé has gained a reputation of doing things that nobody else has ever done before and being extremely real about her life experiences, and her latest interview with Vogue was certainly no different.
By using such an immense platform to openly talk about her motherhood and body, she set a strong example for other celebrities and women in general, showing that rather than feeling ashamed about such topics, you should celebrate them.
So, is the interview a groundbreaking article that absolutely changes everything? Probably not. But it’s still important in its own ways. Does the interview show women that unrealistic body expectations are, in fact, unrealistic? Definitely.
I think everyone can agree that this was another win for Beyoncé.
