Song: If I Were a Boy
April 18, 2010
The song “If I were a boy” by Beyonce Knowles is about a girl who says she would treat her girlfriend a whole lot better if she were a boy. Unfortunately she is stereotyping the typical male and almost makes them look bad. Of course there are men who do not treat their girlfriends right, however, there are plenty that do and those might see this song as offensive.
The first few sentences describe the stereotypical guy actions; when getting out of bed dress however the want and go drink with the guys. It makes it sound like males can do whatever they want without any consequences. However, in reality males usually have jobs where appearance could be an important factor and drinking during the day is out of the question.
The song also describes how bad she was treated by her boyfriend and that if she was a boy she would treat her girlfriend completely different. She says, “If I were a boy/ I think I could understand/How it feels to love a girl/I swear I’d be a better man” “I’d listen to her/’Cause I know how it hurts/When you lose the one you wanted/’Cause he’s taking you for granted/And everything you had got destroyed.”
It is basically saying that men do not know how to keep a relationship and how to treat women the right way. It is extremely sexist towards men and is a assumption of what a man’s life looks like on a daily basis.
Of course not all men act this way, this song is everything but in favor of men and gives them a bad image. I would not be surprised of some males would be insulted by this song as the lyrics continue to stereotype the male.
It is mostly young teenagers who listen to this kind of music and who view Beyonce as a role model, giving this audience the wrong message about boys. They believe that because Beyonce sings about it, it is really true and that all males are this way. Of course they have their “tough” image but that does not mean they cannot treat a girl the correct way or have a successful relationship.
lyrics:
http://www.metrolyrics.com/if-i-were-a-boy-lyrics-beyonce-knowles.html
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