Four-time Grammy Award-winning singer, Annie Lennox is not impressed with how Beyoncé expresses herself as a feminist. In a recent interview with PrideSource, Lennox, 59, reflected upon her own legacy and wound up taking a swipe a Bey, calling her performances "tokenistic" and "feminist lite."
When asked specifically about Beyoncé proclaiming herself a feminist during her 16-minute set at the 2014 MTV Awards (where she received the Michael Jackson Vanguard Award), Lennox responded, "I would call that 'feminist lite.' L-I-T-E. I'm sorry. It's tokenistic to me. I mean, I think she's a phenomenal artist –– I just love her performances –– but I'd like to sit down [with her]. I think I'd like to sit down with quite a few artists and talk to them."
She goes on to explain, "... I see a lot of it as them taking the word hostage and using it to promote themselves, but I don't think they necessarily represent wholeheartedly the depths of feminism –– no, I don't. I think for many it's very convenient and it looks great and it looks radical, but I have some issues with it."
Her issue? "... I think it's a cheap shot. I think what they do with it is cheap and ... yeah. What can I tell you? Sex always sell. And there's nothing wrong with sex selling, but it depends on your audience. If they're 7-year-old kids, I have issues with it."
