You dont see black versions of Lady Gaga crossing over to the extent that Beyoncé has or reaching her levels of success. Black artists rarely have the same privilege of not conforming to dominant image expectations.
Solange, Beyoncés sister, who has gone for a natural-haired, boho, less sexified approach to her music, remains a niche artist, as do Erykah Badu, Janelle Monáe, and Shingai Shoniwa of the Noisettes, like so many black female artists before them. Grace Jones, Joan Armatrading, Tracy Chapman, Meshell Ndegeocellotalented all, but quirky black girls, especially androgynous ones, dont sell pop music, perform at the Super Bowl, or get starring roles in Hollywood films.
Black women (and girls) have also historically battled the stereotype of innate and uncontrolled lasciviousness, which may explain why Beyoncés sexuality is viewed differently from that of white artists like Madonna, who is lauded for performing in very similar ways.
A Seattle Times review of a recent Madonna tour stop praises the artist for rocking us as a feminist icon and applauds the singer for her brazen sexuality: stripping down to a bra, then pulling her pants down below a thong and baring her cheeks to the Key [Arena]. Even the Guardians Freeman, in an ode to Like a Prayer, the writers favorite album, speaks longingly about Madonnas midriff-baring 80s fashion and the video to the title track, which featured a woman named Madonna apparently giving a blow job to a black Jesus.
Through a career that has included crotch-grabbing, nudity, BDSM, Marilyn Monroe fetishizing, and a 1992 book devoted to sex, Madonna has been viewed as a feminist provocateur, pushing the boundaries of acceptable femininity. But Beyoncés use of her body is criticized as thoughtless and without value beyond male titillation, providing a modern example of the age-old racist juxtaposition of animalistic black sexuality vs. controlled, intentional, and civilized white sexuality.
