Want to be Queen Bey’s A+ student? Enrol today at the University of Waterloo
Lucky students at the University of Waterloo can choose to study a course on Beyoncé, everyone's favourite flawless diva. There is so much we can learn from Queen Bey, and it is a crime that she isn't a lecturer at a prestigious university. We can probably learn more from her than we could from Immanuel Kant, at any rate.
Here are five things that we think we would learn at the University of Bey (and no, it's not how to be bootylicious).
How to rule the world
Beyoncé is often compared to the Queen, or royalty. In "Run The World (Girls)", she capitalises on this aesthetic. And she shares many similarities with the Royals, in that she is completely in charge of her own media image. She's blatant about her power and most of the imagery in her music videos presents her as a Queen, or a Deity. She wants you to know that she is in charge.
How to be a ***flawless feminist
Look at the way she holds up and promotes other amazing female artists, like Nicki Minaj, and she stood in front of a massive sign saying 'feminist', and featured Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's speech about what it means to be a feminist. Bey brought feminism to the mainstream and is all about empowering women.
How to drop your fya album
When Bey says she has a 'big announcement', everyone freaks the fuck out. She trolled her entire fanbase by saying that she had a huge announcement to make on Good Morning America... and it turned out to be about her dietary preferences. No, when she has big news, she doesn't make a huge fanfare. She doesn't need to. She's Beyoncé. She's ***Flawless. She's so important that she can just sneak her album onto iTunes when no one's looking and it will shoot to Number One almost instantly. It's genius; think about it. The coolest kids at school were the ones who looked like they didn't try too hard. She's sparked copycats, like Drake, but no one has matched up to her level of excellence; they're not Beyoncé.
How to be a #trueartist
Yeah, she makes pop/R&B music. People will tell you that listening to Beyoncé isn't as cool or highbrow as this fab new electronic band from Peru they've found, or that the music she makes is less valid than the stuff whiney emo white men from Sheffield with guitars make, but Bey is an artist. She's not afraid to experiment with different mediums, such as poetry, and she was part of the girl band that revolutionised popular music and R&B as we know it. You would not be shaking your tail feather at that ironic 90s/00s R&B night if it were not for Destiny's Child. Listen to her voice, she showcases it in the best way possible and trained herself to be able to carry those strong notes by jogging and singing at the same time. That is commitment to a craft.
How to start a revolution
Bey fights for what is right with her actions, not her words. Standing, smiling next to Obama, quietly donating money to Baltimore victims and inserting feminist verses into her songs were quiet but strong statements about how she felt. She didn't say any words for people to pick apart; didn't write a column. But she taught us that you can stand strong to your convictions, and still be universally loved, and that you don't need to shout your opinion from the rooftops to make a difference.