"Beyhive" vs. Rachel Roy: Beyonce's "Lemonade" stirs up Internet storm
Commentary
A few things were made clear amid this past weekend's "Lemonade" mania. Beyonce, or "Queen Bey" to her adoring fans, has no intention of abdicating the pop throne. And "Becky with the good hair," whoever she may be, may wish to consider grabbing her blow dryer, turning off her cell phone and finding a fortified bunker for the next few days. The "Beyhive" is very angry.
The subject in question refers to a lyric on Beyonce's "Sorry," during which she instructs her neglectful, dishonest lover to "call Becky with the good hair." Whether Beyonce intended for the song -- or her album as a whole -- to be taken literally, as a portrait of marital strife with Jay Z, is unclear. But it appears to make no difference.
In a time when anyone with a Wi-Fi connection can morph into a self-styled private investigator or schoolyard bully, this Becky was bound to be targeted and picked apart. Fashion designer Rachel Roy, the Internet collectively decided, is Becky. (Except those that confused Roy with TV chef Rachael Ray.)
Wikipedia page vandalism, Instagram trolling, meme creation and general disparagement ensued. And while Roy certainly played a role in fanning the flames on Saturday night, posting a now-deleted picture with the caption "good hair, don't care," the verbal onslaught was somewhat unprecedented.
Beyonce is, more often than not, regarded as an artist who embodies female empowerment and strength. So the reaction of her fans, to lambaste the "other" woman and revert to both implicit and blatant slut-shaming, was a curious one. Ire toward Jay Z was harder to find.
Some noted the double standard:
The response to "Lemonade" indicates that the act of modern fandom has crossed a threshold. The Beyhive, not unlike Rihanna's "Navy" or Taylor Swift's "Swifties," does not stop at sheer adoration or listening parties. Should Beyonce come under attack -- or even appear to be threatened -- the discourse among some fans can become dark and cruel.
Roy herself issued a plea to Twitter users on Sunday, writing that bullying "of any kind" should not be tolerated.
It was basically akin to a woman yelling into an empty and vast virtual forest. The "Beyhive" had already swarmed.