In Bell Hooks article, “Moving Beyond Pain”, she talks about her first response to Beyonce’s visual album, Lemonade. According to Hooks, she states, “Lemonade is intent; its purpose is to seduce, celebrate, and delight—to challenge the ongoing present day devaluation and dehumanization of the black female body . . . This in and of itself is no small feat—it shifts the gaze of white mainstream culture. It challenges us all to look anew, to radically revision how we see the black female body”. The album made the black body more noticeable and changed the norm in society that they have no power. One thing I found interesting is that Hooks states that male and female violence is the same and both are to not be condoned. She states, “Contrary to misguided notions of gender equality, women do not and will not seize power and create self-love and self-esteem through violent acts. Female violence is no more liberatory than male violence. And when violence is made to look sexy and eroticized, as in the Lemonade sexy-dress street scene, it does not serve to undercut the prevailing cultural sentiment that it is acceptable to use violence to reinforce domination, especially in relations between men and women. Violence does not create positive change”. I completely agree with this because if people want gender equality, women have to treat the same way as men. In order to have equality, violence amongst each gender isn’t a way to attain it.

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