Beyonce Insists She's a Feminist Following 'Bow Down' Controversy, Covers British Vogue (PHOTO)
Beyonce Knowles has insisted that she is a modern-day feminist amid growing criticism claiming that her song lyrics are anti-feminist.
The Grammy award-winning singer was widely condemned following the March 17 release of her new singles "Bow Down / I Been On." In the song Beyonce refers to women as "b------" and demands that they "bow down" to her, yet in a new interview she claims to hold different values.
"That word can be very extreme," Beyonce told British Vogue when asked whether she is a feminist.
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"But I guess I am a modern-day feminist. I do believe in equality. Why do you have to choose what type of woman you are? Why do you have to label yourself anything? I'm just a woman and I love being a woman," she explained.
Beyonce's controversial song, which has an up-tempo beat and distinct sound, has ultimately divided her fans. The often conservative singer, 31, has come under fire for what many perceive to be a an oppressive song that is laced with profanity.
"I know when you were little girls / You dreamt of being in my world / Don't forget it, don't forget it / Respect that, bow down b------," Beyonce boasts in the song.
The "Love on Top" singer's interview has been criticized by some who claim that her statements are contradictory.
"I do believe in equality and that we have a way to go and it's something that's pushed aside and something that we have been conditioned to accept," she said.
The singer wed husband Jay-Z in 2008 and in 2012 the couple welcomed their first child Blue Ivy. Some critics are up in arms over allegedly sexist statements that Beyonce made about the "purpose" of a woman's body.
"I feel like Mrs Carter is who I am, but more bold and more fearless than I've ever been.
'It comes from knowing my purpose and really meeting myself once I saw my child," she said.
"I was like, 'OK, this is what you were born to do.' The purpose of my body became completely different," she went on.
In recent weeks it has been claimed that the singer pushed back the release date of her fifth studio album due to the backlash over her latest single, however this is yet to be confirmed.
