Resistance in Beyoncé’s ‘Formation’

In Representation: Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices, his seminal book about popular media and its effects on social institutions, Stuart Hall describes three effective ways of resisting stereotypes, particularly those of African-Americans: reversing the stereotypes, providing positive depictions through a range and complexity of representations, and contesting from within. In her 2016 Formation music video directed by Melina Matsoukas, Beyoncé effectively and poetically uses all three modes of stereotype resistance, creating not only an exemplary piece of resistance art, but also a worldwide conversation.