Beyoncé’s official photos subvert and reinforce dominant narratives
Tradition of political resistance versus glorification of white motherhood
As befitting pop royalty, the singer Beyoncé Knowles has released the first official photo of her twins — one-month-old Rumi and Sir Carter. The image — which quickly became one of the most liked on Instagram — echoed her pregnancy announcement from February, once again referencing religious and classical icons — this time Botticelli’s Venus. And the Virgin Mary. Throughout her pregnancy, Marian imagery was central to Beyoncé’s self-representation. On the first day of Black History Month, she announced her pregnancy in an Instagram post that conflated goddess imagery and Virgin Mary symbolism. A few days later she delivered a show-stopping Grammy performance that drew from religious icons, including Oshun, the Virgin Mary and Kali. Beyoncé’s birth announcement, then, is an extension of the divine feminine theme. By referencing religious iconography, and particularly Virgin Mary symbolism, Beyoncé simultaneously reinforces and subverts dominant cultural narratives of motherhood. Her ...
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