Pretty Hurts Gender and Race

Schmiedeskamp 1

Pretty Hurts Gender and Race

Sam Schmiedeskamp
College Writing 1010G
November 16, 2014

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Pretty Hurts Gender and Race

Beauty, defined by Merriam Webster, is the quality present in a thing or person that
gives intense pleasure or deep satisfaction to the mind, whether arising from sensory manifestations (as shape, color, sound, etc.), a meaningful design or pattern, or something else (as
a personality in which high spiritual qualities are manifest). In society beauty is found in everyday things and people. We are drawn to innately beautiful things that we find. But when
beauty is associated with women the quality is augmented and applied to the value of women. Beauty is the overall defining quality of women. Men in the large scheme of things, value
women solely for their beauty. Beyonc Knowles, ranked the most influential celebrity by
Forbes Magazine, not only in music but in pop culture, is recognized for being a feminist.
Beyonc denounces beauty as the prominent aspect when considering the value of women.
She strikes down the Western, heteronormative standard of beauty that fail to look deeper
than the gloss coating the cover of Harpers Bazaar or Vogue. Her music is uplifting, giving
hope to women around the world that society will change its ways towards a more equalitarian stance. It is filled with empowering messages encouraging women to defy the status quo
and rebel against the impositions of society. The song Pretty Hurts by Beyonc Knowles is
intersectional piece due to its criticism of oppression of race and gender stereotypes regarding beauty.
Intersectionality (or intersectionalism) is the study of intersections between forms or
systems of oppression, domination or discrimination (Wikipedia). In this case the two forms
of oppression are gender and race. Women of color are an intersectional category that are
oppressed by the beauty and fashion industry. Beyonc takes a deeper look at the oppression

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of this category of women and brings to light the many forms that they are being oppressed
by.
The seven-minute long video depicts Beyonc playing a beauty queen who represents Third Ward, the area of Houston in which she grew up. It opens with a sound of a
poignant piano and shots of Beyonc with short hair looking at herself in the mirror with her
face covered in make-up. It then transitions to shots of female contestants preparing for a
beauty pageant backstage, combing their hair, fitting their dresses and analyzing their bodies;
one scene during the preparations shows Beyonc arguing with another model for a hair dryer. Multiple shots of the singer follow, with one showing her sitting on a floor and another
one showing her coming out of the bathroom with a hand on her mouth indicating that she
vomited. The scene then shows the contestants looking tired and distressed behind the curtains of the stage.
Beyonc is announced by a host as Miss 3rd Ward and she appears on stage, smiling and singing the first verse of the song a capella. An applause follows from the crowd as
the judges take notes about her. The music starts and Beyonc is seen during the preparations
for the show. She combs and sprays her hair, depilates her face and whitens her teeth with
jelly. The scene transitions to a judge, played by the fashion model Shaun Ross, working
with the models during which Beyonc is seen taking diet pills. He measures her abdomen
with a tape and hits her thighs showing her how she should behave when she appears on the
stage. The second verse follows during which she is seen exercising at home and measuring
her weight appearing unsatisfied.
As the second verse finishes the host calls Beyonc on the stage and praises her for
her performance at the competition asking the crowd to applaud to the "beautiful and poised"

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ladies in the competition. He then asks, "Miss 3rd Ward, your first question. What is your
aspiration in life?" the line which is also heard during the beginning on the album version.
She replies, "Oh, my aspiration in life? That's a great question. I wasn't expecting that question" as her voice repeating the question is echoed and the scene transitions to her drowning
in water and looking unhappy behind the stage. After that, she answers "My aspiration in life
would be to be happy". The chorus starts again and Beyonc is seen destroying all the trophies she had previously won, further emphasizing their meaningless. She is also shown
backstage, rubbing her face and smearing her make-up, vomiting in the bathroom. Another
model is seen eating cotton.
During the bridge of the song, the pageant contestant is seen at a hospital with a
plastic surgeon injecting botox in the previously drawn lines on her face. During that scene
Beyonc is wearing a white straight jacket to represent that she is trapped by society's beauty
standards. She is then being spray tanned while wearing bikini. At the end of the video, Beyonc loses the competition to an albino woman after which she happily congratulates her.
The last scene shows her looking happy and smiling with little make-up on her face. The last
thirty seconds of the video transition to a footage of Beyonc as a child winning an award for
Female Pop Vocalist on a television show. She appears onstage saying, I would like to thank
the judges for picking me, my parents who I love. I love you Houston. This video depicts
the pressures that society places on women to value their worth according to their beauty.
In Miss Representation written and directed by Jennifer Siebel Newsom In 2010,
women are better represented on television, in movies and in the news media than they have
ever been in the past. However, while this increased visibility had led many believe that
women have achieved something like equality, the truth is women have a long way to go be-

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fore they achieve anything close to parity, as women count for only seventeen percent of
elected officials in Congress and seven percent of working directors of feature films. Actress
turned filmmaker Jessica Congdon Newsom studies the obstacles women face in the media
and the stereotypes that still define them in the documentary Miss Representation. Featuring
interviews with noted figures in politics (Nancy Pelosi and Condoleeza Rice), broadcast
news (Katie Couric and Rachel Maddow), television (Margaret Cho and Lisa Ling) and movies (Geena Davis, Rosario Dawson and Jane Fonda), Miss Representation explores the glass
ceiling that many women in the media still struggle to break and the double standards applied
to women in terms of appearance and persona (New York Times).
Beyonc Knowles deconstructs the idea of perfection by stating that it is not the physical that needs to be altered, but rather the soul (society) that needs work. Society is constantly telling women that they need to change the way that they look so that they can fit the
heteronormative standards of beauty. Beyonc Knowles urges women to look deeper than
the superficial and fix themselves on the inside. She furthers this concept by introducing the
notion of the soul. The soul includes the spiritual or immaterial part of a human being or animal, regarded as immortal. Beyonc Knowles suggests that instead of fixing the physical
which only occurs on the outside to changing what is the intangible. Pretty hurts, we shine
the light on whatever's worst. Perfection is a disease of a nation, pretty hurts, pretty hurts
Pretty hurts, we shine the light on whatever's worst. We try to fix something but you can't fix
what you can't see. Its the soul that needs the surgery. (Metrolyrics) Perfection in this context is what the media feeds us everyday. The media is such a large part of our lives that we
have too much exposure to media. The media gives us a false sense of reality when we look

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at magazine covers, commercials, and other sources of media intake. Media intake in this
context is dangerous because it leads to the gatekeeping of beauty. Beauty is perceived as
being white, tall, skinny, flat chested. This is stated in Beyonc Knowless lyrics. She outlines the ideals of perfection within beauty and deconstructs them.
Perfection is not solely the problem with one person, it is the underlying quality that
oppresses an entire gender. Happiness is ruined by its objectification, rather the idea that
happiness is not a state of being, but a level of perfection to be attained. Beyonc believes
that beauty does not go hand in hand with happiness. Aint got no doctor or pill that can
take the pain away. The pain's inside and nobody frees you from your body. It's the soul, it's
the soul that needs surgery. Its my soul that needs surgery. Plastic smiles and denial can only take you so far. Then you break when the fake facade leaves you in the dark. You left
with shattered mirrors and the shards of a beautiful past. (Metrolyrics) In this quote Beyonc clarifies the affect of perfection. Perfection causes pain and is a direct affect of it. Ideals of perfection lead to diseases that alter the mind. The diseases that I am talking about are
those such as anorexia and bulimia. This ideal leads to the obsession of the unobtainable.
Beyonc analyzes the pressures that society places on women to be perfect disregarding their worth, only regarding their physical qualities. The pressure placed on women to be
perfect is overwhelming. This same oppression does not arise in men. Women are oppressed
and told to focus solely on their beauty. Women are not valued for their intellect, or other
defining qualities but rather beauty. Beyonc underlines this recurring occurrence in society
by saying, Mama said, You're a pretty girl. What's in your head, it doesn't matter Brush
your hair, fix your teeth. What you wear is all that matters. (Metrolyrics) Girls are told

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from a young age to concentrate on how they are seen in day to day life. Beauty is valued as
the most important quality in women. Men are not held up to the same expectations. Patriarchy imposes these social constructs on women to make them inferior. They are expected to
lady-like, feminine, and classy. These qualities are expected out of every girl and woman.
Pretty Hurts by Beyonc deconstructs the social constructs put in place by society
which define the worth of race and gender. Knowles analyzes the whitewashing of beauty
and how women of color are excluded from the definition of beauty, put in place by the
beauty and fashion industry. Beyonc also explains the standards that women are held up to
caused by the objectification of women. The song Pretty Hurts by Beyonc explains the
intersectionality of gender and race when regarding beauty and worth. Beyonc outlines the
standards of beauty that are gatekeeped by society, addressing only white women, excluding
women of color from the standard of beauty. White women are regarded to as the pinnacle of
beauty. Beyonc outlines the standards of beauty put in place by the beauty and fashion industry, describing the whitewashing of beauty. Blonder hair, flat chest TV says, Bigger is
better. South beach, sugar free Vogue says, Thinner is better. (Metrolyrics) These standards put in place by society exclude a large portion of the population. Beyonc describes the
ideal woman, not in her opinion but in the opinions of the major industries, that she should
be blond, thin, flat chest (for the fashion industry), bigger is better (for the TV industry).
The importance of beauty placed on women to fit this standard, leads to the oppression of
women. Women are pressured to look their best and not focus on what truly matters, which is
everything else. This social construct acts as a tool to oppress women. Race is a social construct, after all, not a fact. And our "categories" black, Asian, non-white Latina, and what
we for lack of a better term call "other" are not perfect. (Jezebel)

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The media gives us a false sense of reality when we look at magazine covers, commercials, and other sources of media intake. According to Miss Representation, society consumes approximately 10 hours 45 minutes of media consumption a day. (Miss Representation) Media intake in this context is dangerous because it leads to the gatekeeping of beauty.
Beauty is perceived as being white, tall, skinny, flat chested. These norms are imposed by the
fashion industry. They push models to be thinner and taller to the extremes that near health
dangers. This is stated in Beyonces lyrics. She outlines the ideals of perfection within beauty
and cracks down on them. Perfection leads to many girls and women self-destructing which
leads me to my next point.
Beauty is an aspect of a power structure leads oppresses women, leading to inferiority. Patriarchy imposes these social constructs on women to oppress them and have total power over them. Girls get the message from very early on that the most important thing is the
way they look. That their value, their worth depends on that. (Miss Representation) This
power structure is a main component of patriarchy. Patriarchy is defined as a system of society or government in which men hold the power and women are largely excluded from it,
consequently men hold all the power and imposes these social constructs on women. In a
quote by Alice Walker The most common way people give up their power is by thinking
they don't have any. (Miss Representation) Men hold this over women's heads by enforcing
the social construct. Beauty is a weapon to oppress women, and to prevent them from holding any sort of power.
Society focuses on the way that women compose themselves which ultimately focuses on beauty. Women are not valued for what the soul is comprised of, they are only valued for what they look like on the outside. Girls get the message from very early on that the

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most important thing is the way they look. That their value, their worth depends on that.
(Miss Representation) The standards of beauty are gatekeeped by the fashion industry. Society defines the standards of beauty as having Blonder hair, flat chest TV says, Bigger is
better. South beach, sugar free Vogue says, Thinner is better. (Metrolyrics) The fashion
industry plasters what it thinks perfect. These standards exclude women of color. If there are
women of color, they are portrayed as being lighter than in reality. Women of color are excluded from the fashion industry because the gatekeepers of the fashion industry prefer whiter, thiner, flatter chest. In reality a small percentage of the population actually looks like this.
Beyonc strikes down these standards, because they hurt women in society. Women are expected to look perfect. Knowles denounces beauty as the prominent aspect when considering
the value of women. She wants to change society and the way that it thinks because they tear
women down. The ideal to be perfect hurts women by arising in diseases such as bulimia,
anorexia. A statistic shown by the film Miss Representation, 65 percent of women and girls
have an eating disorder. (Miss Representation) This staggering statistic brings to light the
pressure that is being put on women and girls to fit the idealistic expectations of society. Beyonc brings to light the value that is placed on women, and how important beauty is.
In conclusion beauty is used as a tool to oppress women and women of color. Pretty
hurts is an intersectional analysis of how beauty oppresses race and gender. It oppresses
power, humanity, race, gender, and value. Beyonc uses music as a tool to analyze the intersectional oppression of women and deconstructs how it affects people. Perfection is a tool to
oppress categories of people and impose its constructs as a means of power. The song Pretty
Hurts by Beyonc Knowles is intersectionally analyzes systems oppression placed race and
gender stereotypes relative to beauty.

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Bibliography
Knowles, Beyonc. "Pretty Hurts Lyrics." Beyonce Pretty Hurts Lyrics. Lyrics Kobalt Music
Publishing Ltd., EMI Music Publishing Read More: Beyonce - Pretty Hurts Lyrics |
MetroLyrics, n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2014.
Freiberg, Jackie. "Jackie Freiberg Channel." Vimeo. Jackie Freiberg, n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2014.
Deming, Mike. "Miss Representation (2011)." New York Times. New York Times, n.d.
Web. 11 Nov. 2014.
"Pretty Hurts (song)." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2014.

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"Intersectionality." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 16 Nov. 2014. Web. 16 Nov. 2014.

Sauers, Jenna. "Fashion Week's Models Are Getting Whiter." Jezebel. Jezebel, 18 Feb. 2013.
Web. 14 Nov. 2014.

Abstract
In this paper I wanted to discuss the social consequences of beauty. Beauty is used as a tool to
oppress women and women of color. Pretty hurts is an intersectional analysis of how beauty
oppresses race and gender. It oppresses power, humanity, race, gender, and value. Beyonc uses
music as a tool to analyze the intersectional oppression of women and deconstructs how it affects
people. Perfection is a tool to oppress categories of people and impose its constructs as a means
of power. The song Pretty Hurts by Beyonc Knowles is intersectionally analyzes systems
oppression placed race and gender stereotypes relative to beauty.

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Sam Schmiedeskamp
Lara Cox
EN1010G
November 17, 14
Beyonc Research Paper Outline
Introduction:
Thesis:The song Pretty Hurts by Beyonc Knowles is intersectional piece due to its
criticism of oppression of race and gender stereotypes regarding beauty.
I.

Beyonc deconstructs the idea of perfection by stating that it is not the physi-

cal that needs to be altered, but rather the soul (society) that needs work.
A. Evidence: Pretty hurts, we shine the light on whatever's worst Perfection
is a disease of a nation, pretty hurts, pretty hurts Pretty hurts, we shine the light

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on whatever's worst We try to fix something but you can't fix what you can't
seeIt's the soul that needs the surgery
B. Ain't got no doctor or pill that can take the pain away. The pain's inside
and nobody frees you from your body. It's the soul, it's the soul that needs surgery. Its my soul that needs surgery. Plastic smiles and denial can only take you
so far. Then you break when the fake facade leaves you in the dark. You left with
shattered mirrors and the shards of a beautiful past.
C. Beyonc analyzes the pressures that society places on women to be perfect disregarding their worth, only regarding their physical qualities.
D. Evidence: Mama said, "You're a pretty girl. What's in your head, it doesn't
matter Brush your hair, fix your teeth. What you wear is all that matters.
II. Beyonc outlines the standards of beauty that are gatekeeped by society,
addressing only white women, excluding black women from the standard of beauty.
A. Evidence: Blonder hair, flat chest TV says, Bigger is better. South
beach, sugar free Vogue says, Thinner is better.
III. Conclusion: Pretty Hurts by Beyonc deconstructs the social constructs put
in place by society which define the worth of race and gender.