Beyoncé is leaving her mark on the Olympics with the reveal of her surprise introduction of Team USA athletes to the Summer Games in Paris.
During the July 26 opening ceremony, NBC debuted a two-minute video of the “Renaissance” artist dressed in a red, white, and blue leotard, cowboy boots, and hat as she rallied support for the men and women who will be competing for medals through early August.
But not everyone felt moved to fall in line with the hand claps and snaps of her song “YA YA” that served as the Olympic anthem in the visual. The track is from her latest album, “Cowboy Carter,” which was met with pushback from those who felt Queen Bey and her hive of followers were intruding upon the predominantly white country genre upon its release in March.
Sentiments about her appearance, blond hair and untanned complexion included, in the Team USA video stirred up similar reactions among her critics. “Was that Beyonce last night or it was Shakira. Is Beyonce a white performer or she suffers from the MJ disorder?” read a tweet.
On Instagram, someone else declared, “She’s all bleach.” While a third said it was evident that Beyoncé had turned her back on her melanated roots when they snidely remarked, “White girl wanna be.” Skin bleaching rumors are nothing new, in fact, they became amplified when the music icon debuted her icy blond tresses during the rollout of “Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé” in 2023.
“she’s white.” “she’s a white lady-“ “whiteyoncé”
— namia 🫧 (@purehoneyies) November 26, 2023
alright, I’ve had enough, STFU ABOUT IT! i will assure you that no one will ever gaf. she’s been this light since her kid years, so stop acting brand fucking new, you decrepit ignorant pigs!!! it’s tiring to see you bitches… pic.twitter.com/xmxW6ytR9F
When the Houston, Texas, native embarked upon the second act of her “Renaissance” trilogy, she faced a litany of accusations that she was overstepping boundaries as she adopted an Americana theme for this era of her career. For hecklers, her involvement in the promotion of the Olympics was all too much. “So sad that everything has to be so sexual With these performers, even the Olympics,” read a disapproving viewer’s opinion.
But staunch supporters of the 32-time Grammy Award-winner did not let the foul remarks about her go unchecked. A fan of the visual tweeted, “I’ve never been a member of the hive (Yes, cue the ratio.), but she did that thang. Absolutely perfect and I truly hope she brings that energy, those boots, and her reminder that Black women will boost America, even when it disrespects us.”
A second person clowned Beyoncé’s detractors when they wrote, “White women are commenting on Beyoncé Olympic’s video saying ‘She wants to be like us’ cuz she has blond hair. Like what? basic with yoga pants and a flat ass holding a Stanley cup? SHE IS BEYONCÉ.” Another enthusiastic supporter wrote, “Beyonce went from Country Music to representing the Country itself. Won’t she do it!”
The multi-hyphenate’s name was thrust into headlines about America’s upcoming presidential election days prior to the Olympic surprise. Following President Joe Biden’s decision to cease his campaign for reelection and subsequent endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris, the singer’s song “Freedom” reemerged as an anthem.
The song appears on her 2016 album “Lemonade.” It’s currently gaining more listeners as Harris’ campaign team has added it to their arsenal. One person taking notice of Beyoncé’s resurgence could not help but to note, “between the presidential elections and the olympics, Bey is getting a BAG rn.”
Despite giving the presidential hopeful approval to use her song, the larger-than-life celebrity has not formally declared her support for the former California district attorney.
