The Exploitation of Blue Ivy
Help Me, Jesus, I don't want to say anything unkind about a child, but Beyoncé and Co. make it near damn near impossible since she and her husband are intent on making their child have "it"-that extraordinary innate quality superstars are supposed to have but can't be manufactured. Blue Ivy is only 11 years old and danced in her mother's shows on the Renaissance Tour; she was okay, hit her marks, and was in synch. However, that isn't the response I am supposed to have. I am supposed to be blown away, but then I am not one of Beyoncé's rabid slavish fans who call her Queen Bey; I am not a member of The Beehive, and I didn't dress in silver because she commanded it. So I don't see her child as a Princess or acknowledge that cretin Jay-Z as a king. Blech. I could rant about his comments about Jews and his alleged violence against women all day, but he is not what this article is about. This is about The Child.
The Carters want The Child to be a prodigy, even though those anomalies are born that way and not assembled; you can't inject natural talent or genius into a kid. They are doing everything they can to make her extremely impressive and manipulate the narrative so we will all believe this assertion. She is being groomed and pumped full of outrageous levels of overconfidence that are off-putting and can turn a charming child into an obnoxious one. Listen, I love seeing little black girls strong and confident; I always want them to know they are worthy and beautiful. We go through enough that says different, so I am there to cheer when a black or brown girl is killing it. She will need this confidence to fight for equality, to "be seen," and for armor to withstand every social message that tells us we aren't good enough. But let us face it: arrogance is not adorably precocious no matter what race a kid is because they have yet to earn bragging rights. They usually haven't accomplished one damn thing by themselves to set them apart, which is a large part of the problem. I 100% blame the parents; they are the ones in control, and they are the ones who start their children down this road.
This style of nepotism is tough to accept and get behind. Between Lena Dunham, Cara Delevigne, and Hailey Beiber, my poor nerves are shredded; someone, please hand me one of those Victorian elixirs full of booze, coke, and some dubious deadly ingredients for women's nerves so I can survive the toxic Age of Unabashed Nepotism. This is koven levels of shamelessness. If you find yourself in any category with them and acting similarly, you must check yourself, get some therapy, take an anti-psychotic, think about a lobotomy, or curl up and die. They too are pushing their children into the limelight to be the next generation of megastars and care very little for the emotional growth of their kids.
The Carters receive very little criticism about their behavior from the media, but there has been a bit of pushback about the tour, and some are not very kind. Again, that is the fault of her parents. They want The Child to be the next Beyoncé, complete with a deranged group of fans and the unconditional adoration of millions who hang on her every move. No matter what she does, they will affirm her actions and question nothing. Usually, a nepo baby is aggressively mediocre, minimally talented, or just plain terrible. Lily Rose Depp, please stand up! I see you, Chet Haze! Nicola Peltz, take your husband with you when you exit stage left.
For The Child to perform at her mother's level, there is no time for a real childhood because Beyoncé is famous for her grueling work ethic and perfectionism, which means hours upon hours of practice and lessons. Jay-Z is known for his meticulous crafting of their brand, controlling every detail down to the minutiae, to the point journalists who have interviewed him found it notable. Since birth, they have groomed Blue to be a performing seal, jumping through pop music hoops like a slick professional. Part of what makes us love a star is watching the trajectory of their career, and it is why we collectively fold our arms and purse our lips in disapproval when the "star" starts on 3rd base.
They shove The Child into the limelight without irony or awareness. They put her in positions to bask in undeserved devotion like she is awe-inspiring, and it is our fortune to even know who she is and bow down to worship her. Except it is the by-product glow of devotion to her mother. I am pretty confident when she was born, Jay-Z held her up to the full moon like in Roots or The Lion King to anoint her, and I bet the angels of their ancestors descended from the heavens...That so totally happened. Okay, no, but they did the equivalent and copyrighted her name at birth.
In one video tweet, Blue Ivy accepts the praise in one shot while Beyoncé poses and lurks in the background like some Wizard watching her creation. It is creepy, and The Child tries to behave as if this moment was spontaneous, but she expects cheering from thousands of people and accepts the proxy worship. This moment has been fully choreographed to seem like she has no idea, but Jay-Z choreographs everything, and to my cynical eye, it looks staged.
Without pushy parents, none of these things would be happening. Instead, she would enjoy a carefree childhood without this pressure and expectation. Willow Smith talked about her anxiety after her smash hit Whip My Hair and how she received very little comfort or empathy, not even from her parents. It hurt her relationship with her father and Will Smith, in hindsight, regrets his behavior. Willow has come to terms and has found the good parts about it. However, it is easy to notice that she hasn't been toiling away releasing albums yearly, which says a lot.
One of the most shocking aspects of all of this is that Blue's net worth is almost double that of her mother at 800 million dollars, According to a 2023 Forbes list, making her one of the wealthiest nepo babies in the world. She makes 3 million a month and only a mere 1 million in expenses. I like the idea of minorities creating generational wealth because it secures the futures of our descendants and creates freedom for those who come after her. This is essential if we are to catch up and get a foothold in the American Dream. But this amount is ridiculous and almost obscene for an 11-year-old who has yet to earn anything independently.
I balked at the headlines saying how she improved on the tour, that she is Beyoncé level of a dancer. Um, NO SHE IS NOT! Just stop with this nonsense. She isn't. I had high expectations when I watched the videos and felt like an evil cow because I was like a lone dissenter in a holy rolling southern Baptist Church watching the flock speak in tongues. What did they see that I didn't? I squinted and held my laptop at arm's length. I watched the routines repeatedly, and she looked like every other kid in dance classes. And that is normal and okay. I told myself, watch it a few times, and then you will see it. I didn't. She is simply a very adorable kid onstage, not unusual or exceptional, just a kid performing and hopefully enjoying it. Random dance recitals across the globe can show you the same thing. I hear the buzzing of The Beehive coming after me, but oh well, and I am aware my take is controversial, but I know for damn sure I am not alone. I am not picking on a kid; I am picking on her parents.
In that vein, I suppose this is more Jay-Z and less Beyoncé. Poor child has a Svengali for a father. She was born with her life mapped out for her. What if she grows up and wants to be, say, a nurse or an accountant? Do we think that she would ever be allowed to follow that dream? Her dreams have been made for her, and I would hate to see what would happen if she doesn't comply. Research shows that children exposed to early stardom struggle to adjust, and usually, it doesn't turn out well. I don't want that to happen to her, but the entertainment industry is rife with stories and anecdotes to prove this theory exists. The Carters don't seem to realize that you cannot bend reality with sheer will and hard work; nothing is ever as we imagined it, and sometimes all we are left is the carcass of a dream.
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