Why We Need to Get In "Formation": The Rhetoric of Beyoncé

Kira Marie Pratt

Kira Marie Pratt University of Denver

Abstract

Following the 2016 releases of the single “Formation” and the album Lemonade by singer Beyoncé, America broke into contentious debate regarding the political and thematic content of the songs and their accompanying videos. This essay explores the rhetoric of Beyoncé’s music video and song “Formation” and a portion of the visual album for Lemonade, analyzing how her depiction of black culture effectively opposes the dominant colorblind ideology of contemporary society. Furthermore, this analysis seeks to make an argument for why this current “moment” in popular culture actually has significance for the expanding national Black Lives Matter movement for racial justice and equality.

Author Biography

Kira Marie Pratt, University of Denver

Kira Pratt is a junior studying Sociology and Media Studies at the University of Denver. Additionally, she is a member of the Pioneer Leadership Program, pursuing a minor in Leadership Studies. Kira has already been published in her school's writing journal WRIT Large, and she is very interested in continuing to do research. She plans to attend graduate school after finishing her degree.