This insight is relevant both to this conversation and last week's about Blake Lively — usually when I hear people talk about Beyoncé as "untouchable," the tone struck me as deferential (e.g., Beyoncé is "untouchable" in the same way that the Ancient Greeks used to feel like the gods were untouchable). You've got me wondering if I've missed "unrelatability" as a dog whistle.
This insight is relevant both to this conversation and last week's about Blake Lively — usually when I hear people talk about Beyoncé as "untouchable," the tone struck me as deferential (e.g., Beyoncé is "untouchable" in the same way that the Ancient Greeks used to feel like the gods were untouchable). You've got me wondering if I've missed "unrelatability" as a dog whistle.
Some of this is definitely branding on Beyoncé's part, but it also reflects a microaggression. The personas available to Black female artists striving for fame are limited. Black women don’t get to be ingenues or perform like Sabrina Carpenter. They can either be serious or sexy and if they navigate it just right, they can embody both. When Beyoncé was emerging, the expectations were even stricter, and she was also competing with other R&B stars for relevance. Over time, her commitment to excellence has often been conflated with unrelatability, but she used to engage with the media and share her personality with those who chose to watch! Black women have always understood her. However, she doesn’t interact with her fanbase in that way anymore, and we see Swift moving in a similar direction.
I refer to this as a microaggression because it otherizes her. This white rebranding of her persona suggests she’s not quite human—albeit in a more complimentary way. The idea of unrelatability is a dog whistle, as you've said, especially considering Beyoncé has written entire albums about love, heartbreak, and cheating—topics that are also staples in Swift's catalog. Yet, only one of these artists is considered accessible in that sense.
Ultimately, white women, and white people more broadly, often struggle to see themselves in Beyoncé, preventing them from granting her the same humanity they afford Swift. It’s fascinating to watch this dynamic unfold on such a large stage.
Thanks for letting me blather on at you! i am obsessed with systems lol
speaking of sabrina carpenter- this article really challenged my understanding of her branding, and i have a feeling you might appreciate it too! (and thank you for such thoughtful comments, they really got my brain racing today) https://substack.com/home/post/p-148686728
It absolutely ties into the soft-girl alt-right pipeline mentioned in this article. it is a regression and I hope you guys get the chance to touch on this too! I don't want to shackle you to the politeness of continued replies but I hope your eye twitches when you read that tweet just like mine did lmfao
okay, this just made it click for me: "not quite human, albeit in a more complimentary way." it's like the flattering way to call someone an object or subhuman. i appreciate your insights here because i hadn't connected those dots.
This insight is relevant both to this conversation and last week's about Blake Lively — usually when I hear people talk about Beyoncé as "untouchable," the tone struck me as deferential (e.g., Beyoncé is "untouchable" in the same way that the Ancient Greeks used to feel like the gods were untouchable). You've got me wondering if I've missed "unrelatability" as a dog whistle.
Some of this is definitely branding on Beyoncé's part, but it also reflects a microaggression. The personas available to Black female artists striving for fame are limited. Black women don’t get to be ingenues or perform like Sabrina Carpenter. They can either be serious or sexy and if they navigate it just right, they can embody both. When Beyoncé was emerging, the expectations were even stricter, and she was also competing with other R&B stars for relevance. Over time, her commitment to excellence has often been conflated with unrelatability, but she used to engage with the media and share her personality with those who chose to watch! Black women have always understood her. However, she doesn’t interact with her fanbase in that way anymore, and we see Swift moving in a similar direction.
I refer to this as a microaggression because it otherizes her. This white rebranding of her persona suggests she’s not quite human—albeit in a more complimentary way. The idea of unrelatability is a dog whistle, as you've said, especially considering Beyoncé has written entire albums about love, heartbreak, and cheating—topics that are also staples in Swift's catalog. Yet, only one of these artists is considered accessible in that sense.
Ultimately, white women, and white people more broadly, often struggle to see themselves in Beyoncé, preventing them from granting her the same humanity they afford Swift. It’s fascinating to watch this dynamic unfold on such a large stage.
Thanks for letting me blather on at you! i am obsessed with systems lol
speaking of sabrina carpenter- this article really challenged my understanding of her branding, and i have a feeling you might appreciate it too! (and thank you for such thoughtful comments, they really got my brain racing today) https://substack.com/home/post/p-148686728
omg, i read the first bit and it reminded me of this tweet that has been rankling me for DAYS: https://x.com/bejeweledpaige/status/1838384133523050587?s=46&t=Uvmv8IE7Ek2cIpQltTocHw
It absolutely ties into the soft-girl alt-right pipeline mentioned in this article. it is a regression and I hope you guys get the chance to touch on this too! I don't want to shackle you to the politeness of continued replies but I hope your eye twitches when you read that tweet just like mine did lmfao
it was less of an eye twitch and more of a minor aneurysm
okay, this just made it click for me: "not quite human, albeit in a more complimentary way." it's like the flattering way to call someone an object or subhuman. i appreciate your insights here because i hadn't connected those dots.