*STUDENT MODEL
“If I Were A Boy” – Beyonce
Album – I Am… Sasha Fierce
Genre- R& B
Beyonce’s song, “If I Were A Boy” is about a woman taking on a male’s perspective in a relationship. Instead of the male usually being dominant in the relationship, the female, Beyonce, plays the male role for a change. In the music video, she is a hard working female police officer with a thoughtful, devoted husband. Her husband becomes jealous of her relationship because of her attractive but a “little too friendly” male police partner. In the video, Beyonce asks him, “Why are you so jealous?” and then she proceeds to say, “It’s not like I’m sleeping with the guy.” Then the characters in the video reverse where the male plays the role of the flirtatious husband, and Beyonce plays the dedicated wife. The song and video clearly exposes how there often appears to be a double standard in relationships. Obviously this song favors women and the pain they deal with regarding jealous significant others who hold double standards of what is acceptable for males in contrary to females.
The type of love portrayed in this song is the love that is seen in many relationships today; the controlling love, the guy who always has to be in charge, more commonly known as the “alpha male.” Beyonce even says in her lyrics, “But you’re just a boy. You don’t understand. How it feels to love a girl someday, you’ll wish you were a better man.” She means that boys/men today don’t appreciate the value of the woman they have in their life. The love in her song is clear, that when one is being controlled by their partner, they are blinded by the issue because “love.” This in turn leads to unnecessary pain.
One part of the song that really stands out to me is when Beyonce says, “You don’t care how it hurts. Until you lose the one you wanted cause you’ve taken her for granted and everything you had got destroyed.” From experience, this really describes many men and boys alike, and how they treat girls today. A guy could have the best girlfriend in the world, treating him like a king, listening to all he has to say, and meeting his needs, yet he pays her no attention. That hurts a girl so much. I know this because that’s happened to me in the past, and it hurts. The worst feeling is neglect from a loved one. Feeling untouched and unnoticed hurts a girl or any person all around, mentally, physically, and emotionally. Beyonce couldn’t have phrased the words together better because when it comes to relationships, it is not until one leaves the other, making them realize their partner’s true value and everything they had done.
The song is clearly dedicated to females, but it affects both males and females. It has a very valuable lesson. I strongly believe that when males listen to this song, I mean really listen; they’ll find that they can relate to what Beyonce’s saying. Maybe they haven’t been the best boyfriend to their girlfriend, or the best husband to their wives. They should pay attention to the little things she does around the house whether it’s cleaning the kitchen or getting the chips and dip for Sunday Night Football. Sometimes all a girl wants to know is that she’s appreciated. Even though it has no cost, appreciation seems to have the highest price of all.