Gender roles are an aspect of human life that have become cloudy as the years have passed. In the past, people have used these gender roles as the basis for how their lives should be run. The gender roles between men and women used to be like night and day. Men were the breadwinners and seen as the powerful ones, while women were meant to stay at home and were seen as the more vulnerable ones. Times have changed and people have challenged these ideas through the use of rhetoric and advocating for this cause. An example of a challenge to these ideas is Beyonce’s song “If I Were a Boy”. This song is beautifully constructed, while shining light on the perception of her man by her stepping into his shoes. She points out the apparent social differences between men and women through the use of ethos, pathos, and logos.
The lyrics of the song are a clear indicator of Beyonce’s feelings about the role and portrayal of men in our society. She begins the song by saying:
If I were a boy even just for a day
I’d roll out of bed in the morning
And throw on what I wanted
And go drink beer with the guys. (Line 1-4)
This beginning solidifies her intentions through the rest of the song. Logos is apparent in this because our society has deemed it as “logical” that women should look prim and proper when leaving the house. They have also deemed only men drinking beer as both logical and ethical. Society is constructed in a way that makes it seem like drinking beer and being interested in what is considered “manly” is a bad thing. Beyonce draws attention to the fact that if she were a boy she would be doing this. This is her, a woman, saying that she would partake in a “manly” event if she could. Since “drinking beer with the guys and chase after girls” is used as one of the things Beyonce would do if she were a boy, this is also using authority. It seems like she is deeming beer to be only a male drink, as well as chasing after girls a male activity. There are also gender differences in the fact that men “chase after girls”. “Chasing” after anyone implies having power. When someone is chasing you it is basically apparent that that person probably has a little power over you, even if it may not seem that way. This song is again addressing gender roles because it is basically saying that men are dominate over women. Beyonce’s voice during most of the song is very calm and quiet. You can tell that the fact that there are differences in what men and women can do bothers her because when she sings the verses she sounds tired and sad. The quiet tone of her voice throughout the song makes the rest of the song (where she increases her voice) more powerful. The gender roles of women are also addressed in this song:
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 (Lines 13-17)
There are a few issues being addressed here. In terms of rhetoric, she addresses ethos, pathos, and logos. Beyonce is a celebrity icon that holds a lot of authority. This reflects the ethos in this song because of how respectable of a celebrity she is. Many people view Beyonce as a role model, therefore listening to this song would make people feel like they could relate to her. Authority is also implied when she talks about the guy taking advantage of her. This is a clear marker of authority, which goes back to the gender-based ideas that men should be the more powerful and authoritative ones. The clear divide between gender roles are apparent in these lines because she said if she were a boy she would listened to the girl talk about her feelings and know how to love a girl. This is showing the vulnerability of females because instead of focusing on an embodying trait of women, she states that women need someone to listen to them talk and they need someone to know how to love them. This trait is never used when categorizing a man. Our society has deemed it logical that women are sensitive and men are strong. What is even more interesting is when it is revealed that Beyonce is stepping out of the placed gender roles:
It’s a little too late for you to come back
Say it’s just a mistake
Think I’d forgive you like that
If you thought I would wait for you
You thought wrong (Lines 30-34)
You can feel and hear the pathos evoked in this part of the song. Her voice gets stronger and louder. You can tell that she is stepping out of her comfort zone and being who she wants to be. Society says women should be vulnerable, but Beyonce says that she will not wait for this boy; she will do just fine on her own. This confirms that she is effectively defying these gender roles through pathos and ethos and breaking barriers.
Beyonce definitely utilizes ethos, pathos, and logos to convey the switch of gender roles in her song “If I Were a Boy”. These rhetorical strategies are used to classify men and women and shine light of the major differences between our society’s perceptions of them. The song effectively draws your attention to the socially constructed reality that there are implied differences in the roles of men and women that should be addressed.
Link to original: http://smilesaychizo.wordpress.com/2013/04/11/beyonce-swapping-roles-what-does-this-convey-in-terms-of-rhetoric/
Knowles, Beyonce. “If I Were a Boy”. I am Sasha Fierce. http://www.metrolyrics.com/if-i-were-a-boy-lyrics-beyonce-knowles.html
