With many songs dedicated to the power of woman, one may think that Beyoncé Knowles, or better known to her Beyhive as Queen Bey, can do no wrong. But even with chart topping songs like “Single Ladies,” “Diva” and “Irreplaceable” photos showing she’s not completely flawless can cause an uproar.
“She looks like a cigarette smoker,” one response said.
“No, I refuse to believe,” another fan cried.
The leaked photos were a part of the L’Oreal campaign from 2013 and showcase the “***Flawless” singer with pimples, wrinkles and blemishes; just like any person may have.
The Beyoncé World, the fan-based website that posted the 224 photos from the campaign, was forced by its viewers within an hour of it going live to take it down, stating:
“Due to the disdain of the BeyHive, we have removed the photos. We don’t want to cause any drama, nor do we wish to start fan wars. Some of the things we have seen posted were just horrible and we don’t want any parts of it. We were just posting the photos to share the fact that our queen is naturally beautiful, at the same time she is just a regular woman.”
Though they had the right idea, most of her followers need to believe that Queen Bey is a goddess and perfect in every way. Any flaw or imperfection that is shown to the world is disrespectful to her and offensive to her fans.
However, only few recognize that the harsh lighting and heavy make up are also factors in the L’Oreal photos. As a matter of fact, many photos of Beyoncé from paparazzi shots have been of her without make up and she looks just as gorgeous as ever.
What’s even more troubling is prior to this leak, unphotoshopped photos of supermodel Cindy Crawford from a Marie Claire Mexico and Latin America cover shoot in 2013 surfaced as well and it too caused a bit of turmoil.
The photos featured Ms. Crawford with an untoned belly, but after all, she’s a mother of two.
Perhaps it was not as bad as the reactions to Beyoncé’s photos, but it was enough for Marie Claire to speak up about its origins; the magazine released a statement declaring that “it is real, it is honest and it is gorgeous.”
The stigma of celebrities featured without makeup or unphotoshopped in any way seems to always be a big topic of the Internet and media.
If someone that is admired by many is portrayed as imperfect, viewers go wild.
It seems that the world we live in is so fixated on admiring perfection even if we ourselves are unable to accomplish it; but the true beauty is in what is real and natural.
We all get older, we all have imperfections. So why can’t these megastars have them too?
Let’s be real, Beyoncé is known for taking many photos without make up and she always looks so beautiful. But the singer herself realizes that being pretty is difficult.
“Pretty hurts, we shine the light on whatever’s worst,” Queen Bey sings in her ballad, “Pretty Hurts.” “Perfection is a disease of a nation.”
With lyrics like that, Beyoncé knows the reality of it all. Frankly, she doesn’t care if people see her without make up. She is beautiful in every way.
All hail, Queen Bey.
