'Formation' is a song which was released by Beyonce. It was mainly released as an attempt for Beyonce to give her view on modern society and the levels of inequality. The word, 'Formation' sounds like a metaphor to organise a protest against the lack of equality in today's society, especially in America. However, this also shows the power which celebrities nowadays possess and how they have more power than other individuals due to how the public tend to follow the views of these famous characters rather than other individuals such as politicians.
Towards the beginning of the music video, we see a scene where Beyonce is in an old looking house from many decades if not centuries ago and she is sat in a chair. She is sat in an upright position as if she is trying to show a sign of empowerment. Furthermore, irony is shown as she is a black woman acting in the role of a white woman which portrays the difference between difference races and how differently they are viewed or treated. When she was sat in the chair and in the old but expensive looking house, it made her look as if she was classier. However, in another scene, we see her in this same house but dancing with a group of women in a childish manner. This could also show the inequality but in terms of different classes and how they are treated.
Another way in which Beyonce expresses her point is through the lyrics of her song. We hear her talk about how proud she is about herself. She is basically encouraging pride in appearance and telling people to be proud about themselves and show how they are as equal as everyone else is. We hear the lyrics "never take the country out me" which is basically her saying, 'don't take my country away from me', in an attempt to protest against views such as discrimination.
We also hear her say "I work hard, I grind 'til I own it", which is basically her setting the point that she has so much power and authority because she will keep 'working' and fighting towards the equality of women in an attempt to prove that things such as women and different races such be treated equally. Throughout the song, we also hear words coming from the man such as 'bitch'. This sets a strong example as to how todays society, especially in America, doesn't take matters such as sexism seriously, because the word 'bitch' can be seen as a very offensive word towards women and it makes them seem like an object and that they are being used, therefore raising the point about inequality in gender again. This can be related to other songs which also use offensive words such as 'nigger'. This against foreshadows major contextual issues such as racism and the lack of equality in todays society.
Another scene shown in 'Formation' is a scene of CCTV footage of Beyonce and other women dancing on a car park. However, they are positioned in an 'X' shape. This could be a referral to Malcolm X, who also attempted to fight for civil rights and increase the equality of black people. However, the next scene we see of these dancers who were in an 'X' shape is a scene of them coming together to form a wall. This could portray how nowadays, nobody has really attempted to fight against issues such as sexism and have only tried to defend themselves against it.
Towards the end of the music video, we see a sene of a little boy dancing in front of a wall of riot police. this could be a representation of how police cannot or should not do anything against a little kid, raising the point about inequality and power. However, after seeing this scene, police protested against this video and refused to police her concerts, therefore showing that they still possess high levels of power, but do not use it in a way to fight against issues such as sexism and racism.
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