In the midst of what's been going on between Megan Thee Stallion and Nicki Minaj, there has been a considerable Twitter debate on queen behavior. This self-proclaimed title has been thrown around in Hip-Hop and Social Media, yet does anyone know what acting like a queen is?
We, women, are all born into royalty, so I always felt like queendom was who we were and not a criterion of how we should act. Let's be honest; some of the queens in history have not "acted" like a queen. For instance, Queen Maria Eleonora tried to harm her daughter because she wasn't born as a male, or Queen Catherine the Great hired a sex tester to ensure the future men suiters were good enough to sleep with. Because as we know time is of the essence and there is no need to waste time on a lousy lay, right?
Queen Behavior
This post stemmed from a conversation with a friend. We both gave our opinions about Nicki vs. Meg beef, and she stated that queens don't act irrationally. My rebuttal stemmed from the crazy behaviors of historical queens, and I thought maybe a queen is a birthright, not a behavior. Or is it?
According to the School of Self-Image, the behavior of a queen is:
The queen communicates from a place of confidence, assurance, and power. She knows what she wants, isn't afraid to ask for what she needs, and is honest and direct. She takes responsibility for her feelings and is a great listener, too. Most importantly, a queen communicates as much as possible from a place of love.
Although most queens might have started poised and full of love, they have some crazy moments at one point because they are human. The downside of this irritational behavior is the loss of reverence and the time spent trying to regain it. The upside is, well, people may become petrified of you, and people are compelled to respect you or off with their head. With great power comes great responsibility.
The Power of the Queen
In the game of chess, the queen is free to move as many squares as long as she is free to. She can peg from one side of the board to the other and is considered the most powerful piece in the game. Although capturing her does not end the game, she has the power to protect the other pieces including the king with her fluid movement.
The power of a queen is to use her power to protect her village; war is not glitter and unicorns, and things do get ugly. With this unprettiness, whether well-known or locally known, influence is still a factor. There is a way to get your point across without inciting a riot. These are the constant complaints I hear about Nicki Minaj. Let's be honest with the rap kings: all was fair in hip-hop. If rappers were beefing, they went in on each other and said whatever punch line that punched their opponent in the guts. And even if hip-hop battles did not present boundaries, it doesn't mean they weren't needed.
The queen's power is to protect the village, which includes saving the king from himself. The Queen is to groom the next queen in line instructing her on how to conduct herself and fixing her crown when need be. Yet, the successor is obligated to respect her predecessor for all the wisdom the queen has poured into her. She sets the bar, and everyone follows. In this case of this week, the bar has been doxing cemetery graves, utilizing a law in the name of Megan Kanka, a girl that was murdered by her assaulter to mock Nicki's husband's controversial conviction, mocking the death of a parent and slut shame. Unfortunately, this misuse of power has turned rap beef into some real-life ish.
Behavior + Power= Influence
Two things exist at the same time. We are all born queens, yet we must mature concurrently with our responsibility. We must make a conscious effort to avoid getting so fixated on earning the respect to feed our ego that it costs us our poise. There is a way to convey a message without encouraging the villagers to set the village on fire. Royalty is a state of mind and not just a lyric. One must not just BE a queen but also ACT like one.
Don't Be Shy? What are your thoughts on the Meg vs. Nicki Beef? What are your thoughts about how us queens should conduct ourselves? Leave your thoughts in the comments.
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