Superbowl XLVII MVP (Most Valuable Publicity): Beyoncé
Was Beyoncé publicist Yvette Noel-Schure the only one who didn’t see this coming?
Somewhat predictably, kick-started by a removal request and a whole dose of naivety, unflattering photographs of Beyoncé have very quickly become some of the most famous and most-seen images of the singer.
After Beyoncé’s Super Bowl XLVII half-time performance in New Orleans on February 3rd 2013, BuzzFeed (an entertainment and news website that also carries celebrity/ gossip pages) published more than thirty images from the singer's performance, highlighting how "fierce" the singer was during the show.
Were some of the photographs, including the one to the left (Ezra Shaw/ Getty Images), unflattering?
In terms of some of the poses and facial expressions caught frozen in time then yes, they were, but when Yvette Noel-Schure sent an email to BuzzFeed respectfully requesting a number of the photographs removed, it was always going to be a major Buzz for the website...
Rather than remove the offending images, BuzzFeed quickly published not just the email from Noel-Schure but the unflattering photos under another page/ article titled The “Unflattering” Photos Beyoncé’s Publicist Doesn’t Want You To See.
BuzzFeed is the type of Internet magazine site that is built around the success of page views, the volume of responses received and the back and forth posts from both fans and critics of a given celebrity or artist.
So rather than comply with the wishes of a celebrity publicist, BuzzFeed rather obviously decided to highlight the photographs in question.
Which, in turn, made the embarrassed Yvette realise when it comes to the Internet, there is Noel-Schure thing.
Then the viral fun started. And with Streisand Effect speed.
(The Streisand Effect is where efforts to hide or remove a piece of information only leads to that information being more widely publicised – it is named after Barbra Streisand, whose attempts in 2003 to suppress photographs of her Malibu residence only assisted in having half the world know where to pop round for a cuppa and a song or three).
Before you could put a ring – sorry, lid – on it, the Beyoncé photographs and backstory were on just about every social media site you care to mention as well as countless gossip sites, blogs, forum pages and reputable news sites including The Telegraph (Getty Images, the famous photo agency responsible for the majority of the published half-time photographs, did remove most – but not all – of the "unflattering" photographs from their website).
The visuals went viral and the photographs have probably been seen by more people than actually watched the Superbowl and its half-time show.
But of course that wasn’t the end of it – due to the original "please remove" story behind the photographs and the grimaces/ poses in some of the shots, those with a expertise in Photoshop soon got into the action, adding musculature to the Beyoncé physique or going even further by creating “fierce Beyoncé” shots in different settings.
Within no time these doctored images had taken on a life of their own to become fully fledged members of the Unflattering Beyoncé club, Photoshop memes based on the original photos...
Somewhat predictably, kick-started by a removal request and a whole dose of naivety, unflattering photographs of Beyoncé have very quickly become some of the most famous and most-seen images of the singer.
After Beyoncé’s Super Bowl XLVII half-time performance in New Orleans on February 3rd 2013, BuzzFeed (an entertainment and news website that also carries celebrity/ gossip pages) published more than thirty images from the singer's performance, highlighting how "fierce" the singer was during the show.
Were some of the photographs, including the one to the left (Ezra Shaw/ Getty Images), unflattering?
In terms of some of the poses and facial expressions caught frozen in time then yes, they were, but when Yvette Noel-Schure sent an email to BuzzFeed respectfully requesting a number of the photographs removed, it was always going to be a major Buzz for the website...
Rather than remove the offending images, BuzzFeed quickly published not just the email from Noel-Schure but the unflattering photos under another page/ article titled The “Unflattering” Photos Beyoncé’s Publicist Doesn’t Want You To See.
BuzzFeed is the type of Internet magazine site that is built around the success of page views, the volume of responses received and the back and forth posts from both fans and critics of a given celebrity or artist.
So rather than comply with the wishes of a celebrity publicist, BuzzFeed rather obviously decided to highlight the photographs in question.
Which, in turn, made the embarrassed Yvette realise when it comes to the Internet, there is Noel-Schure thing.
Then the viral fun started. And with Streisand Effect speed.
(The Streisand Effect is where efforts to hide or remove a piece of information only leads to that information being more widely publicised – it is named after Barbra Streisand, whose attempts in 2003 to suppress photographs of her Malibu residence only assisted in having half the world know where to pop round for a cuppa and a song or three).
Before you could put a ring – sorry, lid – on it, the Beyoncé photographs and backstory were on just about every social media site you care to mention as well as countless gossip sites, blogs, forum pages and reputable news sites including The Telegraph (Getty Images, the famous photo agency responsible for the majority of the published half-time photographs, did remove most – but not all – of the "unflattering" photographs from their website).
The visuals went viral and the photographs have probably been seen by more people than actually watched the Superbowl and its half-time show.
But of course that wasn’t the end of it – due to the original "please remove" story behind the photographs and the grimaces/ poses in some of the shots, those with a expertise in Photoshop soon got into the action, adding musculature to the Beyoncé physique or going even further by creating “fierce Beyoncé” shots in different settings.
Within no time these doctored images had taken on a life of their own to become fully fledged members of the Unflattering Beyoncé club, Photoshop memes based on the original photos...
While I have some sympathy for the plight of Miss Streisand (a genuine living legend, someone who is known to covet her privacy and is more comfortable away from the spotlight than under it), Mrs Knowles-Carter is never more than a PR opportunity away from a video or photo-shoot, award ceremony, discussion on her fashion designs or endorsing various perfumes, famous cosmetic and soft drink brands.
So if you are going to perform at one of the biggest televised events in the United States with a worldwide audience and present your fishnet, lace and leather performance in a flauntive manner, you have to understand that the other side of that choreographed coin – the unflattering photography – comes with the territory.
And let’s not forget Beyoncé is arguably the definitive MTV artist with the looks, body, dance routines and a supporting cast that sell her music through the visual medium.
MTV may stand for Music TeleVision, but it’s more true to say Music To Visualise.
I prefer the older, seldom heard MTL – Music To Listen to – but each to their own.
I’m no fan of sites such as BuzzFeed, but they originally posted the pictures under the title The 33 Fiercest Moments From Beyoncé’s Halftime Show and parts of her routine – the poses, postures and expressions could indeed be labelled "fierce."
And the singer is hoisted by her own alter ego’d petard…
I Am… Sasha Fierce is not just the name of Beyoncé’s 2008 studio album; it’s named after her on-stage alter ego.
Personally, I’m delighted to have had the opportunity to see the photographs as it gave me a chance to see what all the fuss was about, having walked away from the half-time show after about a minute to go and do something more entertaining – like playing some music until the second half started.
I did find the 34 minute power outage (which occurred during the third quarter) quite interesting, however.
But then I watch the Superbowl for the Superbowl, albeit the forty-seventh one of the series gave this Red & Gold fan the Blues. But that would be a whole other Muirsing.
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco was Superbowl XLVII Most Valuable Player, but Superbowl XLVII Most Valuable Publicity went to Beyoncé.
Because the Superbowl half-time show was, sadly, a perfect example of the sexed-up gloss and little substance 21st century entertainment industry in action.
A comment which guarantees I won't be receiving a Guest Pass for Beyoncé's next World Tour.
Unflattery will get me nowhere, but it got Sasha Fierce around the world and back again.
Ross Muir
February 2013
So if you are going to perform at one of the biggest televised events in the United States with a worldwide audience and present your fishnet, lace and leather performance in a flauntive manner, you have to understand that the other side of that choreographed coin – the unflattering photography – comes with the territory.
And let’s not forget Beyoncé is arguably the definitive MTV artist with the looks, body, dance routines and a supporting cast that sell her music through the visual medium.
MTV may stand for Music TeleVision, but it’s more true to say Music To Visualise.
I prefer the older, seldom heard MTL – Music To Listen to – but each to their own.
I’m no fan of sites such as BuzzFeed, but they originally posted the pictures under the title The 33 Fiercest Moments From Beyoncé’s Halftime Show and parts of her routine – the poses, postures and expressions could indeed be labelled "fierce."
And the singer is hoisted by her own alter ego’d petard…
I Am… Sasha Fierce is not just the name of Beyoncé’s 2008 studio album; it’s named after her on-stage alter ego.
Personally, I’m delighted to have had the opportunity to see the photographs as it gave me a chance to see what all the fuss was about, having walked away from the half-time show after about a minute to go and do something more entertaining – like playing some music until the second half started.
I did find the 34 minute power outage (which occurred during the third quarter) quite interesting, however.
But then I watch the Superbowl for the Superbowl, albeit the forty-seventh one of the series gave this Red & Gold fan the Blues. But that would be a whole other Muirsing.
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco was Superbowl XLVII Most Valuable Player, but Superbowl XLVII Most Valuable Publicity went to Beyoncé.
Because the Superbowl half-time show was, sadly, a perfect example of the sexed-up gloss and little substance 21st century entertainment industry in action.
A comment which guarantees I won't be receiving a Guest Pass for Beyoncé's next World Tour.
Unflattery will get me nowhere, but it got Sasha Fierce around the world and back again.
Ross Muir
February 2013
