8 Reasons You Love Beyonce's Music And 6 Reasons You Don't

Beyonce is a phenomenon. There is really no other word to describe her. Singer, actress, fashion diva, producer. She can and has pretty much done it all. There's no stopping her from continuing to do more, say more, and speak out about a bunch of issues that people want to talk about (and some people would rather not). Love her or not, you have to admit that she has a presence as well as a way with words, music, and representing herself visually. Her February Instagram post announcing her pregnancy was the most liked Instagram post of all time. Even those that did not like it saw it and had an opinion about it. Beyonce came on the music scene with Destiny's Child and quickly skyrocketed to the top of the charts as the lead vocalist. She then breached off into the successful solo music career that she has today. But then, there are definitely people that have always felt that she is totally overrated and that she's not that big a deal. Art is often subjective and it depends on the eye of the beholder. Which camp do you fall into it when it comes to Beyonce? Here are 7 reasons you love her and 7 reasons you might not.

14 She Is Outspoken

There is nothing more refreshing than a woman who is not afraid to speak her mind, and when it is a celebrity, that's even better. Beyonce has power as a famous person and the world is always watching her, so it's amazing to witness when she has something powerful to say. From her earlier Destiny's Child songs where she cautions young women to not stay with a man who mistreats them ("Bills, Bills, Bills") to breaking up with a man who broke her heart in “Best Thing I Never Had" to her recent songs about self-esteem and “Single Ladies", she is sending out a message to women to not be afraid to stand up for who they are and what matters to them. They are valuable and need to treat themselves like they are so society seems them as that too. Her videos can be a little racy at times, but in most is that women empowerment theme about loving yourself first and it all will fall into place. And that's a pretty awesome thing.

13 She Has A Distinct Voice And Style

No doubt about it, whether you love or hate Beyonce or just don't get who she is, you have to admit that her singing voice is absolutely incredible. Her range is strong and melodic. The emotions that she feels are super ripe and obvious in every single song that she sings, and whether you love or are partial to her style, you have to admit that her voice is good and that she has great musical talent. She is a lady who believes in herself, her music, and takes her career extremely seriously. You can't help but admire her work ethic, her musical range and all the different struggles she sings about on her albums. She does not hold back from her audience and loves to fully express herself and her thoughts. This is why she has so many fans and is considered to be one of the most famous people in the world. Seriously.

12 She Grows With Her Music

From a young school girl talking about meeting Mr. Right to marriage to the joy of motherhood to how to be confident in yourself, and cheating, Beyonce continues to cover the gamut of emotions, feelings, and thoughts that a woman has. She has physically and psychologically grown up on all her albums. She has grown from a young married woman to a new mother to an older married woman dealing with the problems between couples. We can probably expect a lot of music about her life with her twins once they are born. She has grown up and we have grown up as her audience with her. She is exploring all these things with us and it is pretty amazing. It is an awesome thing to listen back to her older music and see how far she has come. It is great to see someone change with their music instead of always staying where they started because it "sells."

11 She Is A Strong Role Model

She talks repeatedly in her music, spoken poetry, and her perfume and clothing line about girl power and empowerment. She is a strong woman and wants to encourage other women to be strong like her, trust in themselves, and know they are beautiful inside and out. The important thing for them to remember is that they have so much to offer the world. They need to trust in what makes them happy and where their true passions lie and never be afraid to go for it. It's only when we have the courage to chase our dreams that we will move ahead in our lives. Women are still tragically and unfortunately trailing behind men in many industries. There are many parts of the world where inequality still runs rampant. This is where it is important for women to have a sense of who they are and where they are going and then make plans to get there.

10 She Is Not Afraid To Be Honest In Her Music

The whole Lemonade album was about sharing how vulnerable Beyonce is, whether it was an autobiographical account of her life and marriage or not. She did a great job capturing the general pain and struggles of  life, love, racism, and infidelity. She does a great job of putting us in the shoes of a woman struggling so much with pain, heartache, anger and betrayal, when she knows she deserves so much more from the man she loves and respects. The songs about racism and inequality and the additional burdens that black women have to go through in a society where they are still sometime viewed as less are very telling and help open everyone's eyes to the racism and gender issues that still exists in our world. There is much work ahead that needs to be done, and we are reminded that we need to start with self-love before anything else can get accomplished.

9 She Experiments With Different Styles And Genres

Beyonce has never been afraid to stretch herself as an artist. She experimented with a pop music sound earlier in her career then moved onto techno-dance pop, hip-hop with her duets with Jay Z and other hip hop artists, and all kinds of different musical styles from hip hop, jazz, and pop music. With her Lemonade album alone she experiments with R&B, reggae, hip hop, rock, fusion, dance, country, ballad, and soul. To say that it was a phenomenal success is an understatement. Whatever anyone thought of the album of the whole, (and most of the response was positive), it was BIG. Beyonce handled a lot of controversial issues from racism, gender issues, marital infidelity. She was open about society's struggles as a whole in resolving many difficult issues and how couples struggle with relationship issues as well. Not many artists are willing to take this risk for fear of failing, but not Queen Bey.

8 She Is A True Pop Icon

As mentioned before, Beyonce is not afraid to experiment with different musical styles and stretch herself as an artist and as a woman. She is not afraid to be controversial and talk about issues that people are afraid to talk about openly like racism, gender issues, and infidelity. She puts her own spin on things as, of course, is her right. Some people like this, some people hate this, but she is always talking about important subjects that definitely need to be discussed. She always gets the media's attention with her visually stunning music videos, her strong vocals, and her spoken word poetry. She is not afraid to be frank about what she sees as society's problems, the hidden agendas of those with power who oppress, and what we need to change as a society in order to grow in peace and love. Who doesn't want that as a role model?

7 She Is Honest About Her Personal Struggles

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Beyonce is someone who has been nothing but honest about her personal struggles and rediscovering who she is and was in previous and current relationships. She has also talked frankly about how difficult it last to adjust to motherhood at first but what a joy it was when she became a mother. She has not been afraid to open up in interviews about intimate personal issues and how they have shaped her as a woman and person. She has also talked about the importance of role models for young women and of having people they can talk to and who believe in them. She has said that the first person you need to learn to love in order to be loved is yourself. After that, the rest becomes easy. Her path has been forged due to working hard, and she is grateful for her family's lessons about how to work for things you want to achieve.

6 Her Birth Announcement Was Too Much

Sure, we are all happy that she is pregnant. Beyonce and Jay Z have been wanting another child for a long time. To see them celebrating not one but two babies on the way is great. Double the love, as they say. But that Instagram post? It was, well, a little bit overboard for a lot of people. We mean, fertility goddess imagery?! For some people, this kind of thing is just way too much. All women who are expecting a baby have experienced that glowing feeling of feeling like a goddess and carrying life inside of them. Especially if they were trying for a long time. They feel vindicated that they are finally pregnant. But she is not the only one to conceive after a hard time or to feel beautiful as a pregnant woman. Many of her critics feel that her music and videos lately have been about glorifying herself and not about any other universal message that her previous music was about.

5 She Teases Revelations

A little bit of teasing about upcoming announcements is alluring. But there is a point when too much is, well, too much. Much of it will rub some people the wrong way. They will think of it as a privileged star who is abusing that privilege to tease the masses when most people are getting fed up. They like good quality music, entertainment, and when a celebrity has an interesting message and thoughtful commentary. If the celebrity is deliberately being cryptic, it may turn some people off. Sometimes you want to be a fan of a famous person who is not always saying and doing controversial things just for the sake of it. A lot of people may have dismissed Beyonce before, but fans have felt that her music and message have become a little confusing as of late. Who she is anymore? What does she stand for? We aren't sure.

4 The Whole "Lemonade" Album

Then there are the critics who say that the whole Lemonade album and the alleged speculation that it is about her own personal marital issues is all bunk. They think that it was all done to spark controversy, sell more records, and to make even more money. Of course there's nothing wrong with artistic license and making a controversial album, but using the public's sympathy to propel the album forward (at least according to her critics) has some people feeling that they were being used. Which we totally agree with, even though the whole thing was amazing. Many people are even wondering if there were ever any marital problems to begin with… or if this is just a smart strategic business move to propel music careers forward. Beyonce and Jay Z are very talented of course, but a little bit of controversy never hurt and it's definitely a way to garner even more attention.

3 The Sasha Fierce Alter Ego

There was also that whole “Sasha Fierce” alter ego that Beyonce used a few years back. Many people wondered where she was going with that character. Was it some new image? Was it a new musical style? Was it something else? She claimed that she channeled this character to feel stronger and more confident, but then this character and the name simply disappeared. Her critics said that it was yet another publicity stunt to get attention for a new album. Regardless, the album sold and did well as most of her albums always do, but people were confused about where she had been going with the character who was actually kind of disturbing to some people. Fans who associated her as a good girl pop singer were concerned with this new look, and critics or those that were never fans said again this was a move to make more money and sell more records.

2 What Was The Elevator Fight Really About?

That elevator fight between Solange and Jay Z over an alleged affair on Jay Z's side sparked a lot of controversy to say the least. Many people wonder what really happened in that elevator? Was it due to an affair or not? Others wondered whether it was a publicity stunt for all or one of them. Other people were thinking that maybe all off this was due to a complete misunderstanding and a situation that was blown out of control. Whatever it was, many people who became critics of the star don't know what to think anymore. In a world where a big controversial fight, headline or scandal sells, you never know what's really going on. In the end, unless you really like the celebrity, music, acting or art, it can be tough to know what to believe and what is really going on. People don't know what to think about Beyonce anymore.

1 It's Hard To Know If She's A Feminist

Here's the final question about Beyonce: is she a feminist icon and role model for young women everywhere, or is she projecting a totally sexist image? Sure, her videos highlight female empowerment, the importance of speaking up for yourself, being tough and having confidence. But there are videos where the lines are blurred -- where she's dancing half naked, not being very empowering at all, and providing her body as an object. Yeah, some people consider her dancing to be a feminist thing because she's a so-called goddess… but then again, men pretty much run the music industry. Again, there are mixed signals here, and it has to be asked -- what is Beyonce's message to women? So there you go -- there are reasons to love Beyonce and there are reasons to wonder what she is really all about. One thing is definitely for sure: she knows how to keep us watching and guessing!