The two websites I looked at were “BitchMedia” and “Autostraddle”. The first article I read was on “BitchMedia” and is called Black Venus Rising. In the article the author dissects the meaning behind every detail in the revealing of Beyoncé’s pregnancy with twins. Since Beyoncé is a very powerful popular Black artist I think the perfect audience for this article would include people of many ages that cherish self-image and feel as though they have some type of power and success. This article points out many things, for one, the fact that the announcement came out on the first day of black history month, among many others. On “Autostraddle” I looked at an article called “Valentine’s Day Cards For Queer Women”. Obviously from the title you can assume the audience intended to view this would be queer women. The article poked fun at queer jokes in a light hearted comical way. In no way making fun of any queer woman but as a straight woman I still felt comfortable and could chuckle along as I read the cards. The two articles I read were very different from one another. The article about Beyoncé was a serious topic and was analytical and can be viewed and provide previously unknown information to a variety of people as the audience. However, the article about Valentine’s Day cards was clearly intended for queer women. Personally, I enjoyed the article about the cards better. Although I do love Beyoncé and am so excited for her to be pregnant, I personally did not put any thought into her motives and intentions pertaining the way and time she announced her pregnancy. Until, of course, I read this article.
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SGST/ WOMS 200-011 
I enjoyed reading the article of on BitchMedia about Beyoncé’s pregnancy announcement. When I first heard she was having twins and saw the (now viral) pictures, I really was interested in the context of the photo since it of course wasn’t your average announcement photo (examples of average in my mind are black and white nude shots, plain, simple). I looked over an article recently (can’t remember where) on the photographer behind the photos and saw some of his other works, and bright color and bold contrast seemed to be his signature, which I enjoy, however I didn’t realize until actually reading this article that there was a lot more contextual thought put into the composition. I like how even down to the lingerie she is wearing in the photo references the Virgin Mary.
On the subject of, “Valentines Day Cards for Queer Women,” from the website Autostraddle, I found it very entertaining even as a straight women as well. When I first saw the title, I was a little hesitant to read it because I didn’t know if I would understand/get the jokes since I’m not “part of the club,” but that of course wasn’t the case at all. So I think the article definitely is targeting queer women like it says, but also is targeting all types of people that aren’t and are wondering just like I did when I saw the article header, “what would that be like?” Also I think in todays society, it’s not like you can walk into hallmark and see there’s a section for cards like “For Husband From Husband,” etc… So I feel like this article in a way could be spreading some awareness and putting that idea out there.
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I agree with you when you say that Beyonce is a powerful black artist. I believe she is the perfect woman to be the “leader of black artists” because she uses her fame to promote history and accomplishments. For an example when you pointed out she posted it on the first day of black history month it probably wasn’t a coincidence. She is subtle with her messages (not shoving her views down everyone’s throats), but the meaning is powerful. I can also relate with you when you say coming from a straight woman you can laugh at the jokes on the cards. No one is trying to offend anyone but rather make a light joke out of a sensitive topic.
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Beyonce is a powerful woman who has so many young female supporters who idolize her as their role model. So, when she broke the news of her pregnancy with not only one child but two, everyone knew right away and everyone was ecstatic for her and her family. I think it was extremely inspiring to hear that she spread the news about her twins on the first day of Black History Month. It allowed for all of her followers of all different races to come together as a community, which was perfect timing after the inauguration because so many people were feeling lost and discouraged. After reading the article on BitchMedia, I believe she did realize the timing of when she posted her news because she knows how powerful of a woman she is and the impact she has on her followers. I agree with you when you said that the article, “Valentine’s Day Cards For Queer Women,” is very light-hearted and comical. Since I rarely ever see same-sex cards sold in stores, I think that this is a great way to inform people that there needs to be more of a variety. Even though I am a straight woman, I was able to relate to the cards and I found them both funny and entertaining.
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I love Beyoncé and when I heard that Beyoncé was having twins I was so happy for her. I did not, however, realize how analytical people are on the topic. I agree that the target would be people of various ages because I feel like Beyoncé is known and liked by such a various group of people. When I read the Valentine’s Day cards I could not hold it together. I am a queer woman so I feel like I may have understood some of the jokes at a different level than straight women but I agree that they are hilarious and I too enjoy the cards more than the Beyoncé article. I think I enjoyed it more because there aren’t a lot of gay (used here as the umbrella term) Valentine’s Day merchandise and although these are electronic cards it’s still great to see that someone took time to make them.
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Ever since I heard Beyoncés first album, Dangerously In Love, I have been obsessed with her. I think she is a very good role model to look up to since she is powerful with the messages she tries to send but does it in a way that is memorable and honorable, yet subtle. Beyonces announcement about being pregnant with twins was a shock and out of the blue to millions of people. This news was iconic and even one of my friends who studied abroad said that this was the first thing she heard when she came back to the country after her trip. I did not even think about if Beyonce was trying to send a message after her reveal on Instagram and other social media sites stating that she was pregnant with twins. After reading these articles I then realized that she most likely intentionally did it on the first day of Black History Month to try and send a message. Beyonce is a role model to millions of people in this world and I feel like people respond and respect the ideas she is trying to get across.
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