Beyoncé too sexy for a role model by Masindi Mamphiswana

If part of being a feminist entails being overly sexually expressive at the cost of propriety and decency, then that's exactly what Beyoncé is showcasing on her latest self-titled album. Is the highly sexual lyrical and visual content of her album a reinforcement of feminism?

Beyoncè is a self-proclaimed feminist. In her album there a segment in a song called Flawless in which she features a speech titled 'We should all be feminists' given by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. It is questionable whether the advocacy of women's rights and gender equality is best expressed through such blatant and tasteless displays of sexuality. This coming from a woman who's influential, is concerning as little kids also sing along to Beyoncé's music.

In a patriarchal world in which men are constantly accused of objectifying women as sexual tools, as a woman, Beyoncé's behavior is ironic because she is constantly portraying herself in a sexual way and yet women complain about men's treatment. However, this is in no way a justification of the sexual harassment of women. But then again, that's the business of pop culture in which sex is what sells. Most commercial products in music, film and magazine industries must contain an element of sex in order to garner mass attention. Sex is a key ingredient to raising sales and making large profits.

The record-breaking sales figures of the Beyoncé album attests to this having sold over 800 000 copies in just under a week on i-Tunes. Sure, this can be attributed to her mega stardom but it is also plausible that sex appeal aided her album sales.

Beyoncé has always been a sex symbol from her early days in Destiny's Child and after the launch of her highly successful solo career in 2003. She has never shied away from sexiness as much of her music reveals. But this time the unapologetically sexual lyrical and visual content on her album has raised eyebrows eliciting some negative comments.

By TV host Bill O'Reilley's reckoning, Beyoncé is a role model to young girls and therefore shouldn't be doing this sort of thing. He lodged harsh criticism towards her in interviews referring to her album as 'exploitative garbage'.

Indeed, Beyoncé has overstepped the boundary unnecessarily. With global fame and a massive bank account of about $300 million, she doesn't need to do this. She is setting a bad example of conduct for young girls. However, she is a 'Grown Woman' and she can do whatever she likes as she boldly states on one of the album's catchy songs.