Annie Lennox calls Beyoncé a ‘token’ feminist with ‘cheap’ lyrics
theGRIO REPORT - During a recent interview, Grammy winner Annie Lennox responded to Beyoncé's claims of feminism, calling her a "lite feminist."
Apparently, Annie Lennox doesn’t think Beyoncé is a convincing feminist.
The Drunk in Love singer declared herself a feminist during her set at the MTV Video Music Awards in August.
As Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s speech, sampled in “Flawless,” played with lyrics plastered largely in the background, Beyoncé posed in front of life-sized image of the word, “feminist.”
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During an interview with PrideSouce magazine, Grammy winner Annie Lennox responded to Beyoncé’s claims of Feminism, calling her a “lite feminist.”
“I would call that ‘feminist lite.’ L-I-T-E. I’m sorry,” Lennox said. “It’s tokenistic to me. I mean, I think she’s a phenomenal artist — I just love her performances — but I’d like to sit down [with her]. I think I’d like to sit down with quite a few artists and talk to them. I’d like to listen to them; I’d like to hear what they truly think.”
Lennox continued.
“I see a lot of it as them taking the word hostage and using it to promote themselves, but I don’t think they necessarily represent wholeheartedly the depths of feminism — no, I don’t. I think for many it’s very convenient and it looks great and it looks radical, but I have some issues with it. I have issues with it. Of course I do. I think it’s a cheap shot.”
Lennox later went on to criticize Beyoncé and other artists for their sexually charged lyrics.
“I think what they do with it is cheap and … yeah. What can I tell you? Sex always sells. And there’s nothing wrong with sex selling, but it depends on your audience. If they’re 7-year-old kids, I have issues with it.”
Clutch Magazine writer, Diana Veiga, slammed Lennox for policing black women’s embodiment of feminism.
“This need for white women to police Black women’s definition and brand of feminism is troublesome, bothersome, and disturbing,” she wrote. “It does nothing more than widen the chasm that already exists between white and Black feminists. What exactly are the depths of feminism Lennox is talking about? How does Beyoncé not represent them? And what does Lennox think Beyoncé is missing?”
Follow theGrio.com’s Entertainment Editor Chris Witherspoon on Twitter @WitherspoonC.
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