Recalling the social media whirlpool of anguish after Michelle Obama’s jubilant, self-affirming speech of black womanhood at BET’s Black Girls Rock event last month — cries of reverse racism and even a #metoo hashtag that proclaimed #whitegirlsrock — it’s obvious that America is past-due for getting over its centuries of misogynoir.

Even further, in its two-to-three-sentence exposition about the sexual violence inflicted upon the Black female body, “Cops and Robbers” fashions women as mere accessories. Reference to the brutality is ornamental detail used to startle, shock and jar the audience. With no mention of the trauma that accompanies such abuse it’s clear that the play’s misogynoir had purely instrumental value.

"BEYONCÉ" is deeply personal to black feminists because we still expend so much energy fighting stereotypes and inaccurate narratives about black women and busting the misogynoir and microaggressions that mark our daily lives.

My reorientation to the misogynoir[1] ruling the radio took place when I tried to make the argument that "All the Way Turnt Up" was a great song because it didn’t objectify women. This was something I could get behind; a song simply extolling the youthful value of keeping the bass bumping in your vehicle. That was until I read the lyrics and found the choice lyric "three dike bitches, and they all wanna swallow."

[1] Word I made up to describe the particular brand of hatred directed at black women in American visual & popular culture.