That’s Just the Way it is, or is it?
In Beyoncé’s music video “If I Were a Boy”, current gender stereotypes in society are
extremely evident. Beyonc conveys the message that unfair double standards exist between
men and women; she does this by switching the usual roles of a relationship between a
man and a woman. By having the man show more emotions and taking a more submissive
role in the relationship, having the woman act as the provider of the relationship, and
abruptly switching their roles near the end of the video, Beyonc successfully shows the
difference of acceptable gender roles in American society.
Beyonc intentionally has the man play a submissive role in the relationship to represent the
role a woman would typically have. She chooses to have the man cook breakfast for his
girlfriend, which is usually a woman’s task. Patiently waiting to eat breakfast with his
girlfriend, the man is smiling and seems happy but Beyoncé does not pay any attention to
him and she goes on with her day (0:31). When Beyoncé leaves without sitting down to
eat, the man appears to be let down by the lack of attention. This strikes Beyoncé’s
audience as unusual due to the abnormal behavior of the characters because they do not
follow our expected gender stereotypes.
The man is playing a submissive role in the relationship because he is waiting on the
woman. He cooks her breakfast yet she doesn’t show him any appreciation for his actions.
By seeing all the things the man does for his woman, it is apparent that Beyoncé is the one
who is in control of the relationship. When I go out of my way to do something nice for
someone else, I get upset when they do not give me any recognition for it. I have
encountered many relationships where the woman is constantly trying to impress her man
by doing small tasks; this action represents something a woman would think to do. The
typical man would usually not realize the effort someone else put into such a small task,
which would explain why Beyonc simply grabs some food and heads off to work without a
second thought. Once again, this scenario is completely intentional to portray the gender
roles of the relationship to be switched from the usual norms.
By having the man be completely devoted to the relationship and the woman less involved
seems to be out of place in American society. We expect the woman to be all over her man,
