Rakhi Kumar’s recent Huffington Post article titled, “An Open Letter to Michelle Obama: BTW Beyoncé No Longer A “Role Model,” was written in response to the First Lady Michelle Obama’s statement that the pop superstar was a great role model for her two daughters. The First Lady even tweeted how proud she was of Knowles after her 2013 Super Bowl performance.

Kumar said it’s time to send girls a more refined, intelligent message. She cited Obama’s endorsement as approval for “thoughtless cultural currency,” later qualifying her letter as a means to “re-etch the self image and self worth of young girls who think that sexualizing themselves is necessary to be powerful or successful.”  

According to Kumar, in jeans and a T-shirt Beyoncé sounded like a “celestial being from a different dimension,” yet in a sheer bodysuit, she was “a glowing ball of soullessness.”

Tread lightly Kumar, you’re contradicting your own argument.

What really needs to be re-etched is the ideology that being a “refined woman” has a definition, that expression should look a certain way. That if we want to dance on stage in a glittered bodysuit, flipping our hair and shaking our hips, than all we’ll ever be is an object. And that ultimately, anything we have to say to the world will be either muted or received depending on the way that we look.

Girls, I don’t care if you’re wearing a ball gown, bodysuit or your God-given birthday suit; what you wear won’t define you.

It is our job to teach young girls that Beyoncé’s costumes are secondary to her craft, that she is a brilliant businesswoman who controls every inch of her career and its resounding impact. We have to give them the tools to differentiate entertainment from reality, Sasha Fierce from Beyoncé Knowles.

There are plenty of celebrities who have proven themselves to be poor examples for young girls. Britney Spears, Amanda Bynes and Lindsay Lohan went from Disney darlings to delirious disasters. Their agenda does not account for fans.

The same cannot be said for Mrs. Carter.  

At The United Nations General Assembly, Beyoncé sang “I Was Here” in front of 1,200 people for World Humanitarian Day. It’s as if she wrote it for Kumar, herself.

“I want to say I lived each day, until I died

And know that I meant something in, somebody’s life

The hearts I have touched, will be the proof that I leave

That I made a difference, and this world will see, I am here”

Is it really fair to judge Beyoncé as a role model based on what she wears?

The HBO documentary “Life is but a Dream” followed Beyoncé during one of her biggest years yet. The intimate biography captured her as a pop icon, an everyday woman, a wife and a mother. She spoke candidly about the stressors of living a life that is so often misunderstood.

“I’m learning how to drown out the constant noise that is such an inseparable part of my life,” Knowles said. “I don’t have to prove anything to anyone. I only have to follow my heart and concentrate on what I want to say to the world. I run my world.”

Those are not the words of a glowing ball of soullessness. Those are the words of a woman who’s contributed far more to the world than a few risque costumes. She attained success by working hard, believing in herself and refusing to be defined by the way that she looks. It’s our job to reinforce that in the minds of young girls. Take the words from Beyoncé herself.

“Your self-worth is determined by you. You don’t have to depend on someone telling you who you are.”

Carly Samuelson can be reached at samu5380@stthomas.edu.