For me, scrolling through my Twitter feed is often a way that I like to relax and allow myself to waste a little bit of time.
I don’t typically like to look at anything controversial while I am reading through various tweets, but this time I did happen to stumble upon something that really ruffled my feathers.
After a few minutes of browsing the explore page, I read a tweet that sparked a little bit of confusion within myself.
The tweet featured a photo of Beyonce and Ed Sheeran performing at The Global Citizen Festival.
In the photo, Beyonce is wearing a large pink ensemble, while Sheeran is wearing his typical T-shirt and jeans.
The tweet in reference criticized Sheeran for dressing down while Beyonce was dressed more properly.
Basically, the Twitter users who agree with the original tweet are tying to claim that this is an example of gender inequality.
The individuals trying to criticize the singer said that this is a perfect example of how female performers are held to a higher standard than their male counterparts.
Because Beyonce was dressed in a large costume, many Twitter users stated that there are higher expectations made toward female performers as far as their wardrobe and image that they portray of themselves.
I think the comments that were made in response to the outfit choices of these performers were absolutely ridiculous.
I do not believe this would be a perfect example of gender inequality at all.
I think both performers wore what they wanted to wear.
They wore what they were comfortable and confident performing in.
I think trying to say that this performance was anything more than two singers wearing what they feel best portrays them is a stretch.
Beyonce is known for her glamorous style and stage costumes.
Sheeran is known for his casual, laid back looks on stage.
I do know that female performers are more likely to wear eye-catching costumes on stage than males are, but I do not think it is a gender inequality issue.
I don’t think this situation calls for any kind of cry of gender inequality.
I think that the singers simply wore what they were used to wearing for their usual performances.
I believe that everyone should be able to wear whatever they want, even if they are in the public eye.
I do not see why we cannot allow performers to wear what they feel comfortable in without it making headlines or bashing them for their decisions.
I think individuals are too quick to call out situations as being more controversial than they really are.
I wish we could just allow people to make their own decisions without trying to make a statement out of them.
Needless to say, after seeing these tweets, I had to log out of my Twitter account for a few hours to gather my thoughts on this situation before writing it all out.
Sometimes you have to step away from social media and form your own opinions.
HARLEE BOEHM
