"Renaissance: The Beyoncé Movie" comes with a lot of great stuff: behind-the-scenes footage of the Carter Family, a Destiny's Child reunion, and even a new song. And the list keeps growing. The London premiere on November 30 saw Blake Lively reveal a major cultural shift that has occurred in recent years.
Lively attended the star-studded event alongside her old friend Taylor Swift, who premiered her own concert film in Los Angeles on October 11. Beyoncé showed up to Swift on her big day, and Swift quickly responded. These shows of support led Lively to reflect on what she's seen and heard in show business over the years, particularly when it comes to women's relationships with other women.
women helping other women
“Growing up, women were always in competition with each other,” Lively wrote. “It wasn’t until adulthood that I discovered that women’s instinct to bring out the best in each other was the norm, not the exception.”
She added that "most" of her closest friends were women "who would be seen as a threat or competition." She's glad there's an alternative now, and she feels a responsibility to lead by example. “Our job is to show the younger generation the power of unity, not division,” she continued.
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However, even amid her heartfelt message, Lively couldn't help but add a light-hearted joke. "All this to say, @beyonce and @taylorswift y'all don't have to be threatened by my pop stardom," she quipped. “There’s room for all of us.”
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As two icons in the music industry, Beyoncé and Swift have always refused to compete with each other. Just look at how Beyoncé handled Kanye West's infamous interruption of Swift at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards. During Swift's acceptance speech for Best Female Video, West took to the microphone to declare that Beyoncé had "made one of the best videos ever," and after receiving her own award, Beyoncé graciously Swift took the stage back to let her finish her speech.
When Beyoncé's surprise appearance made headlines when the Taylor Swift: Age of Concert Tour debuted, Swift was more excited than anyone. "I'm so happy, I never know what my life would be like without @beyonce's influence," she later wrote on Instagram. "She taught me and every artist here the way to break the rules and challenge industry norms. Her generosity of spirit. Her resilience and versatility. She has been a guiding light throughout my career, and her presence tonight was like a A true fairy tale.”
It's great to see everyone's support. Of course, Lively's pop star status is self-evident. What an artist.
