Religion
Dear Grandma: Hudson, Keyes & Beyoncé dominate on ‘Super’ stage
- Details
- Written by Lucy Shaw
Dear Lucy: I watched the Super Bowl Game yesterday and saw history. There were these three incredibly beautiful and talented African-American women dominating the screen with their moving performances. Jennifer Hudson was dressed like a 20's, curvy schoolteacher with a voice from heaven. Alicia Keyes was decked out in an elegant red gown crooning while playing her craft on the piano. And then there was the mega-star, Beyoncé who proved hands down that she can sing, dance, be a generous friend and take over a stage, stadium and screen. Things have really changed. No matter how proud I was of Beyoncé, I could not help but think that my grandmother would have rolled over in her grave to see her lack of clothing and public dance moves like that! I am not in the group that criticizes Beyoncé, I am just considering how much has changed.
– "Just Saying"
Dear "Just Saying": "There is nothing new under the sun." Today, we just have Internet, television and awesome technology to make sure that there is maximum exposure of whatever one's pleasure happens to be.
I am not a football fan but I jumped at the opportunity to watch this Super Bowl and see these female stars dominate the screen in an unprecedented way. These are young women in the very competitive world of musical performance. They shine because they are not only mega-talented but because they are also few in number.
You are right, there was an interesting contrast in how each of them presented. Appropriately, Jennifer was dressed for singing with a group of children. Alicia was dressed with a solemn nod to the mood of the country for our soldiers. Well, Beyoncé was dressed as Beyoncé; doing what Beyoncé is well-paid and trained to do...provide entertainment over the top!
Every Super Bowl show is expected to deliver on this. She is "hot," draws a crowd and is capable of creating a little controversy. After dealing with her lip-sync fiasco of last week like a brilliant business woman, she went on to prove why she was invited to the Super Bowl. This morning, unable to criticize her performance, she was accused of throwing the Illuminati sign out during her performance. Now the Illuminati is presumed to be a small, elite, super-secret group of influential individuals who have shaped the course of world events for centuries.
Yes, I know not only my grandmother, but my mother would have been alarmed and appalled by the public display of flesh and suggestive moves. When I was in junior high I desperately wanted to be a majorette. My mom wasn't having it. I tried out anyway and was turned down because I was too skinny!
My Mom never found out but she made sure I joined the band and was fully covered up in pants and a hat. My best friend was selected to be a majorette and had big fun being one. Her parents loved her as much as mine loved me. My friend was no less a great teenager just like me, trying to solidify her identity. Her parents' ideas about flashing flesh in public were just different from my folks.
While my mother would not allow me to be a majorette, I can remember her being very proud to mention Josephine Baker as a successful, beautiful, flesh-flashing black rebel who had to move to France to be recognized for her special talents in a bygone era. Then, as now, "over the top" sells and entertains. We don't have to watch nor do we have to buy. Opinions on covering and uncovering women are as diverse as the Muslim Burka to the nudist camps.
Many of us do things that we think are and will be kept private, while others do things as a part of their livelihood. At the end of the day, free will still reigns and judgment is personal.
And what about that game? Awesome and entertaining, too.
Lucy
(You can watch Lucy on Channel 17 (Comcast) every Thursday at 10:30 am. (Send your questions to her by U.S. mail to: Heartworks4U, LLC; 4646 Poplar Ave. Ste 201, Memphis, TN 38117 or by e-mail to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Get your free gift at http://www.heartworks4u.com/)
(For help with the feelings that get in the way of prayer and peace of mind, get Lucy's new book, "BE NOT ANXIOUS." Order it directly from her at 901-907-0260 or from her website.)
