Can you spell hypocritical? Beyoncé is among the leftist feminists who have decided “bossy” isn’t an appropriate way to describe the gentler gender. This is the same Beyoncé that uses an even more offensive B-word in the lyrics of her latest musical work of art nine times.
Indeed it is. Beyoncé has backup, though—the “Ban Bossy” campaign, which complains that the “bossy” descriptor holds girls back and espouses that “girls are twice as likely as boys to worry about leadership roles that make them seem ‘bossy.’” The campaign has the backing of Condoleezza Rice, Jennifer Garner, Jane Lynch, the AARP, the Girl Scouts, and Teach for America.
“When a little boy asserts himself, he’s called a ‘leader.’ Yet when a little girl does the same, she risks being branded ‘bossy,’” the campaign explains. “Words like bossy send a message: don’t raise your hand or speak up. By middle school, girls are less interested in leading than boys—a trend that continues into adulthood. Together we can encourage girls to lead.”
I don’t think name-calling is appropriate at any level. In the church, bossy ladies are often falsely labeled “Jezebel.” The power of death and life are in the tongue (Prov. 18:21). A godless person can destroy someone with the words of his mouth (Prov. 11:9). An ungodly person’s speech can be like a scorching fire (Prov. 16:27). God knows our girls don’t need any sort of verbal abuse, but when the airwaves are filled with shows and songs that use the B-word like it’s a preposition, it seems like we may be fighting the wrong battle here.
The likes of Diane Sawyer are heralding the Ban Bossy campaign as a “powerful movement to change one word and the future of America’s daughters.” But again, are we focusing on banning the wrong B-word? I have a 16-year-old daughter. I’d rather someone call her bossy than b—-h. According to the Media Research Center, from March 7 to March 15—the span of just one week—there were at least 50 uses of some form of the word “b—h” on entertainment TV.
As for Beyoncé, she is buying into the motto “I’m not bossy. I’m the boss.” But her self-titled album Beyoncé has sold millions and her single “***Flawless” uses the B-word in lyric after lyric—after lyric after lyric. Other songs on the album also use the derogatory word. So, is Beyoncé going to repent for the hypocrisy? Will she re-record her album and take out the offensive language? Again, if “bossy” holds back young girls, what does the B-word do to their precious souls?
Jennifer LeClaire is news editor at Charisma. She is also the author of several books, including The Making of a Prophet. You can email Jennifer at [email protected] or visit her website here. You can also join Jennifer on Facebook or follow her on Twitter.
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