Because I love Beyoncé!

So obviously I was extra keen to buy the July issue of Dazed & Confused, featuring Queen B promoting her new album 4. As usual, Beyonce did not disappoint. It's quite late here at the moment, and I'm super-tired, but I wanted to get a post out before the week ends.

So here are a few of the reasons why Beyoncé should be one of everyone's style icons....






The custom-made clothes in this shoot had my mouth watering. To pick just a few, I would go mad for the Givenchy jumper (cover image), the Gareth Pugh snood, and the amazing Marc Jacobs for Louis Vuitton jacket in the final photo. She pulls off just the right balance of pretty and fierce. The concept of the shoot was supposedly 'trailer trash fantasy' - difficult to achieve, given that it's almost impossible to actually visualise Beyoncé walking around in a trailer park in reality. Still, the clothes were amazing and the photos are some of my favourite of Beyoncé; in my opinion her new bolder, more out-there style of dressing suits her career and personality far more than the traditional R&B look of 'Deja Vu' and 'Crazy in Love' (though I did love the all-diamond top on the 'Crazy in Love' album cover).

And if you're looking for reasons to respect her as a career woman, not just as an artist...

"I have high expectations of myself and expect the exact same thing of everyone around me. I've always been that way. I'm all or nothing."

"I've been signed to the same label since I was 12 years old and never had more than a month and a half off since I was 13."

"I remember being in Japan after I wrote 'Independent Woman' and these young teenage girls were telling me that the song, to them, made it uncool to not have your own job, your own career, and your own mind."

There's always been disagreement about whether Beyoncé can truly be considered a feminist icon, especially by people who consider her 'sexy' image and lyrics that have been called dependent, and contradicting her main message. However, for me, Beyoncé has always stood as a symbol of a powerful woman who has withstood the changing music scene for years now to build a veritable empire. She's not even 30 yet, but she's conquered the music world so many times already - and this was all before the new 'empowered' female artists like Nicki Minaj and Lady Gaga. (I'm beginning to sound a bit soppy, and being as tired as I am, I'm not sure if much of this actually makes sense).

Anyway, to wrap things up, Beyoncé's super. You should all love her. Lots.