Bow down, feminists

Say what you will about Beyoncé (and what you’re saying is a little prayer, as she has taken over as our pop culture lord and savior), but she has never shied away from the F-word. Yes, she’s a feminist. It’s right there on the screen at the MTV VMAs. No mistaking. And regardless of what you think of Beyoncé’s pop iconography or booty shakes or personal dramas (hey, sometimes shit goes down when there’s a billion dollars on an elevator), I think it’s wonderful she would choose this moment to promote the ideal. I’d happily gif feminism any day.

And, like in her single, Queen Bey again sampled Nigerian novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s TED speech “We should all be feminists,” which said:

We teach girls to shrink themselves, to make themselves smaller. We say to girls, ‘You can have ambition, but not too much. You should aim to be successful, but not too successful. Otherwise, you will threaten the man.

Feminist: a person who believes in the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes.

Now that sentiment is the perfect way to start off a week, hell, a life. Is there a bucket of ice we can throw at each other for feminism to go viral?

p.s. See her entire, insane, VMA Vanguard Award performance here. Bow down, indeed.