All of us have probably gotten around to watching Beyoncé’s visual album Lemonade by now. If not, a few songs must have been heard. Not even that? Fine, but I bet you’ve hear “better call Becky with the good hair” going around, am I right. Beyoncé’s “Sorry” lyrics have quickly gained popularity raising quite a few eyebrows. After being called “Becky,” (allow me to mention that the account seems to be an Iggy fan. It has now been protected, but it links to an active account of someone who clearly is an Iggy fan.) Iggy drily replied:
https://twitter.com/IGGYAZALEA/status/724710326281732096
The Aussie rapper then had quite a few discussion with Twitter users. In her own words, “Becky” is an offensive slur that stereotypes white women. Iggy could’ve started an important conversation on stereotypes and racial profiling. However, her nerves seem to have gotten the best of her.
Iggy lost her Twitter battle the moment she started using examples. Some topics are just better off being explained, not exemplified. Iggy elaborated her argument claiming that:
https://twitter.com/IGGYAZALEA/status/724727576476917760
Twitter users were quick to call out the rapper on her own mistake. No one seemed to be pleased with Iggy’s examples and, if I’m being completely honest, that was the moment I stopped trying to understand her logic. Can we really skip to the conclusion that “Becky” has to be white purely based on the “good hair” that follows her name?
Personally, I would’ve loved to have gone to bed (or started my day, depending on where you are or when you’re reading this) without yet another “Iggy being problematic” Twitter thread. For someone that has history on being problematic and is even tracked for it, maybe Iggy should’ve sit this one out and just ignored that one tweet she did not agree with.
Iggy’s comment actually got me thinking: should I, a white woman, be offended? After those two seconds of thinking were over, I ultimately concluded that no, I have no reason to be offended. Let’s assume Beyoncé truly did use “Becky” to target a white woman, is having good hair by any means bad? Is someone calling you out for having good hair offensive?
Honestly, Iggy, I don’t know where you’re trying to get. Even if we do follow your train of thought, if “Becky” is a stereotypical term derogatory to white woman, all it is doing to us is assigning a positive trait to our appearance.
Now, let’s look into some of Iggy’s lyrics, “I’m a runaway slave… master.” Her dramatic pause makes is seem as it could not get any worse, but it does. While you think the Aussie rapper is about to call herself a slave, she claims the title of a slave master. No analysis needed, that’s racist.
Iggy hasn’t been poorly commenting only on the black community. She has previously tweets that aside from “abusing fake eyelashes,” an Asian woman was told by Iggy herself that her “bitch ass” better learn English.
Iggy, darling, being stereotyped is not necessarily derogative. While us Beckys are privileged with good hair, the Black community will forever carry the scars of slavery and Asian women will always struggle while trying to make it outside of their countries that are heavily controlled by the patriarchy. Please, Iggy, Becky isn’t racist, you are.
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