No one has a more impeccable career track record than Beyoncé. With eight critically acclaimed (solo) studio albums and 35 Grammys to her name, it’s safe to say that flopping is simply not in her vocabulary. She has given us catchy lyrics, had us dancing in leotards in our living rooms with “Single Ladies” and has most recently taken the cowboy core trend to the next level.
Twenty-plus years into her career, the 43-year-old continues to break records and break barriers, delivering unforgettable performance after unforgettable performance, all while being a businesswoman, wife and mother of three.
But it seems as though, as she continues to earn her crown time after time, Beyoncé detractors keep wanting to knock her off the throne.
At the beginning of her career it was all rumors about how she conspired to boot other members of Destiny’s Child so that she could thrive as a solo artist.
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And when she did manage to launch a successful solo career, tons of other conspiracies have swirled around her — from people claiming she and husband Jay-Z are members of the Illuminati, to even darker ones, claiming she was somehow involved in the death of Aaliyah back in 2001 or that she somehow faked her pregnancy with Blue Ivy (recently addressed by her mother, Tina, as a “horrendous” time for their family).
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Beyonce performs onstage during the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards
Through it all, Beyoncé has managed to rise above the fray, addressing her haters in her music and letting her art speak for itself, one flawless album after another. She has managed to continuously let the rumors roll off her shoulders and keep climbing without giving into the noise, an impressive characteristic that’s rare in the age of social media clapbacks.
After years of trying to poke holes into the well-curated public image the singer has crafted for herself without any success, it seems as though Beyoncé haters are turning on the singer’s children instead — and listen, this needs to stop now.
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The hate on Blue Ivy came before she was even born. Back in 2011, the internet went berserk when Beyoncé appeared on an Australian TV show and the dress she was wearing folded on camera. The clip immediately went viral, with people claiming that the singer was faking her pregnancy and that she would be welcoming her first child through surrogacy so as to not ruin her figure.
TV show hosts also had a field day with the gossip. Wendy Williams infamously did an entire demonstration on her show, where she got two pregnant women from her production team to wear similar dresses and sit the same way Beyoncé did to see if their dresses would fold the same way.
It was a crass moment for daytime TV, even back then. And while we can criticize Williams for being insensitive, the segment was a reflection of its time — and a very toxic internet culture that let people run wild with any conspiracy theory they liked.
You would think that’s as bad as it got. You would be wrong.
Beyoncé’s parenting then came into question during Blue Ivy’s toddler years, when people used their platforms to critique a toddler for her hair and appearance, saying things that don’t need to be repeated here.
Still, Beyoncé rose.
In 2016, the singer released “Formation,” the lead single from Lemonade and proudly flexed about her family. “I like my baby heir with baby hairs and afros/I like my negro nose with Jackson 5 nostrils,” she sang, defending her family through her music.
And over time, Blue’s appearances with her family began to be welcomed and celebrated, with fans marveling over her healthy hair and close relationship with her parents. The haters were stopped in their tracks just by Queen Bey’s refusal to nod to their bad behavior.
Jim Poorten/NBAE/Getty
Jay-Z and his daughter Blue Ivy Carter
But still, the criticism didn’t stop there.
On May 26, 2023, Beyoncé embarked on the Renaissance World Tour. On May 26, Blue Ivy took to the stage and performed during parts of “My Power” and “Black Parade” with her mom. It was her first time on a stage that big and she was clearly nervous.
Once again, the naysayers began yapping, with people wondering if Blue, an 11-year-old first-time performer, would grow up to live up to her iconic mother, who, at that point, had decades of experience under her belt.
Still, the preteen took it on the chin, went back to the drawing board, got her choreography together and improved so much she became a mainstay in the shows for the rest of the tour. And fans are going nuts for Blue on the Cowboy Carter Tour, with many comparing her (favorably) to her mom because of her poise and dance skills as a young woman.
Mason Poole via PictureGroup/Shutterstock
Beyoncé Knowles-Carter on stage with daughters Blue Ivy and Rumi, and mother Tina Knowles
But still, people haven’t learned their lessons. The microscope is being turned to her seven-year-old twins, Rumi and Sir Carter. For several years now, rumors have run rampant about why we don’t see the twins nearly as much as we saw Blue over the years. (Though we have to say: Can you blame the Carters, considering how awful people were to their eldest?)
Beyoncé and Jay-Z seem to be more protective of their twins, and rightfully so. Rumi and Sir appeared in her Ivy Park ad campaign back in 2021, and while Rumi featured in Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé, Sir wasn’t included as much, which once again, led to conspiracy theories gone amok.
The star’s parents Mathew and Tina Knowles have spoken about how different Sir is, temperamentally, from his sisters, alluding to the fact that he is not really into the cameras. In an interview with E! News, Tina revealed that even though Rumi is artsy, creative and outgoing, Sir “is very quiet and very smart and does the numbers stuff.” This corroborated a previous comment made by Mathew that Sir “just wants his world to himself.”
Stephanie Sengwe
Sir Carter on the screens at Beyonce Cowboy Carter Tour
And when Rumi entered the spotlight on tour with Mom April 28, internet trolls began to target her. Frankly, even if it weren’t cruel to speculate about any child, talking about someone’s kid that you’ve never met is about as weird as it gets, online or off.
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It seems as though throughout her entire career, people have been trying to bait Beyoncé and get her to somehow act out of character. The fact that she has this seemingly impenetrable public image, while it’s protected her in some ways, has also made her an easy target for wild speculations because people know she’d never comment.
Some might say that being a public figure does invite a level of criticism that you can’t avoid — and whether or not we agree on that sentiment, going after her kids’ looks, their personalities and the things they wear is flat-out not acceptable.
Whatever you want to say about her children (you weirdos), it doesn’t actually change anything about Beyoncé’s status in pop culture — so the ultimate goal, to tear her down for some reason, is not being achieved.
It’s long past time to log off and let Beyoncé and her kids live in peace.
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