What Beyoncé's Sexuality Has to Do With Your Own
Sex is one of the most powerful catalysts for self-awakening. It can incite in us to brazenly express the full spectrum of our beingness & it is often through sex that we discover our true selves.And then we have sex in the media.It's in our favorite television shows, in hit songs, on billboards—everywhere. And within all of these bold images & in-your-face expressions of eroticism, there can be quite a bit of confusion for those of us coming & sinking into our sexual identities.We might begin to wonder if what we see on the screen are the kind of representations we'd like to feed our sexually blossoming selves.Like, is Beyoncé's sexual expression a healthy embodiment of sexuality to me? What about Miley Cyrus—is she the personification of sexual liberation? Which displays of sexual agency speak the language of erotic freedom?But mostly. . .
How do we know whether one's blatant sexual expression is that of powerful self-liberation or that of self-objectification?
My answer: You'll know it when you see it.You'll know when a sexually liberated woman is rearing her courageous, audacious head, & when desperate, attention-seeking erotic expression is coming into play. You'll feel it in your body somewhere—perhaps in the form of a drop of the stomach or a flutter of the heart. Regardless, something inside of you will say either Yes or No.But. . . only if you ask & tune in for the answer. It's in the asking & tuning into our inner voice that we'll be able to decipher these mixed messages.Examples of asking:
- How does witnessing Rihanna twerking feel in my body? What is my gut response?
- What does my intuition say about these hyper-sexualized American Apparel ads?
- Is this, in my heart, a healthy, holistic, liberating display of sexuality or is it something else?
- Who is my erotic muse, & what is it about this person that inspires my own sexual agency?
The key is to know that the answers to these questions are personal & about your unique views on sexual expression—your views. Not your mom's. Not your boyfriend's. Not your bestie's. Yours.Trust yourself enough to know that you innately have the answer. 