In the now publicly-released video for “Pretty Hurts,” Beyonce makes a strong statement about girls, women, society, and standards of beauty. “Pretty Hurts” is about the pain many young girls and women face as they go through life absorbing the millions of messages from television, magazines, society as a whole, and sometimes even family members, telling them that their self-worth is tied to their looks. “Pretty Hurts” is about self-esteem, it’s about self-revelation, and it’s about reevaluating that socially-charged word to begin with—”pretty.”
Preach, Bey, preach….
“Pretty Hurts” by Beyonce
Mama said, you’re a pretty girl
What’s in your head it doesn’t matter
Brush your hair, fix your teeth
What you wear is all that matters
Just another stage
Pageant the pain away
This time I’m gonna take the crown
Without falling down, down
Pretty hurts
Shine the light on whatever’s worse
Perfection is the disease of a nation
Pretty hurts
Shine the light on whatever’s worse
Tryna fix something
But you can’t fix what you can’t see
It’s the soul that needs the surgery
Blonder hair, flat chest
TV says bigger is better
South beach, sugar free
Vogue says
Thinner is better
Just another stage
Pageant the pain away
This time I’m gonna take the crown
Without falling down, down, down
Pretty hurts
Shine the light on whatever’s worse
Perfection is the disease of a nation
Pretty hurts
Shine the light on whatever’s worse
Tryna fix something
But you can’t fix what you can’t see
It’s the soul that needs the surgery
Ain’t no doctor or therapeutic that can take the pain away
The pain’s inside
And nobody frees you from your body
It’s the soul that needs surgery
It’s my soul that needs surgery
Plastic smiles and denial can only take you so far
And you break when the paper signs you in the dark
You left a shattered mirror
And the shards of a beautiful girl
Pretty hurts
Shine the light on whatever’s worse
Perfection is the disease of a nation
Pretty hurts
Shine the light on whatever’s worse
Tryna fix something
But you can’t fix what you can’t see
It’s the soul that needs the surgery
When you’re alone all by yourself
And you’re lying in your bed
Reflection stares right into you
Are you happy with yourself
It’s just a way to masquerade
The illusion has been shed
Are you happy with yourself
Are you happy with yourself
Yes
Lyrics via metrolyrics
*This post was updated on 4/29/2014
My Feminist Briefs 
Reblogged this on My Feminist Briefs.
powerful words! “…Perfection is the disease of a nation…It’s the soul that needs the surgery…”
Reblogged this on SEX My Favorite Topic.
This was one of my news reads “find of the week” yesterday: http://www.cbc.ca/undertheinfluence/season-2/2013/06/01/shame-the-secret-tool-of-marketing/
It fits with your blog’s on-going conversation, so I thought you might like it.
Awesome article. Thanks so much. It definitely falls within the purview of EVERYTHING I’ve studied and care about. From consumerism, to economic inequality, to gender inequality, to the role of the media, and more… It really connects with so many issues.