Breaking Glass, Breaking Rules: Beyoncé’s Take on Marriage Power. REVISED

Jay-Z. 2017. "4:44." 4:44. Roc Nation.

Beyoncé. 2016. Lemonade [Music Video]. Parkwood Entertainment.

In this screenshot from Beyoncé’s Lemonade (2016) music video, the artist walks down a city sidewalk in a flowing, mustard-yellow dress. Her curly hair moves freely as she swings a wooden baseball bat into the windows of parked cars. The scene is filled with warm, golden light, and her body is confidently positioned at the center of the frame. The burst of broken glass flying from the car and her almost-screaming expression contrast with her ethereal appearance. A man in a red shirt watches in astonishment as the event unfolds. The image captures a moment of destruction, but also a moment of power. Beyoncé’s actions express a refusal to remain quiet or restrained, showing a kind of emotional honesty that women are often discouraged from expressing. Through color, motion, and composition, the image centers her anger and bodily presence as she resists expectations placed on women to stay composed, quiet, and forgiving.

In “Authority and Autonomy in Marriage,” Marianne Weber argues that marriage has historically been a site of male control. She writes, “As far as can be determined, at the beginning of all history the woman was the property of the man among all of the civilized peoples of Europe” (Weber [1912] 2003:86). This authority was not just legal—it shaped the norms of everyday life. A man “could freely dispose of her person...while she remained, with respect to him, completely without rights, permanently bound, and obligated to loyalty and obedience” (Weber [1912] 2003:86). These expectations created a specific kind of relationship: one where a woman’s place in the marriage was defined by silence, service, and dependence. Women belonged in marriage, but only as long as they accepted their lack of power.

The image from Lemonade pushes back on this kind of relationship. Beyoncé’s swing of the bat becomes a symbolic break from the role Weber describes. It’s not just an act of anger—a demand to be seen, heard, and respected on her own terms. This act of destruction signals a refusal to quietly accept betrayal or play the role of the obedient wife. It aligns with Weber’s argument that women must control their lives, including their labor and emotions. Beyoncé’s defiance reclaims space in a relationship where power had been uneven. Her body language, clothes, even the glass shards flying around her—all show a new kind of belonging: not one based on obedience, but on self-worth. Meanwhile, 4:44 (2017) serves as Jay-Z’s public response. On the title track, he raps, “And if my children knew / I don't even know what I would do / If they ain't look at me the same / I would probably die with all the shame” (Jay-Z 2017). His admission of guilt and fear of losing connection marks a shift. Instead of standing above the pain he caused, he steps into it, showing a willingness to be vulnerable. This echoes Weber’s call for a more equal relationship built not on control but mutual accountability. Together, Lemonade and 4:44 model a different kind of partnership. The rules are no longer about control and silence but honesty, repair, and respect. These works ask what it means to truly belong in a relationship, not as property, but as a whole and equal person.

References:

Jay-Z. 2017. "4:44." 4:44. Roc Nation.

Beyoncé. 2016. Lemonade [Music Video]. Parkwood Entertainment.

Weber, Max, and C.R. Bermingham. 2003. "Authority and Autonomy in Marriage: Translation with Introduction and Commentary." Sociological Theory 21(2):85-102.