‘That's What Beauty Is'

Master of None co-writer and star Lena Waithe on how Beyoncé’s music gave her permission to be herself

- Lena Waithe

WHETHER YOU’RE A LOYAL MEMBER OF THE Beyhive or a hater, the overwhelming impact of Beyoncé cannot be denied—or so argues a new collection, QUEEN BEY: A Celebration of the Power and Creativity of Beyoncé Knowles-Carter (March 5, St. Martin’s Press), edited by Veronica Chambers. The collection features cultural critics and academics on anything and everything Bey. Below, Emmy-winning writer, producer and actress Lena Waithe reflects on her personal journey with Beyoncé’s music.

I was in junior high when Destiny’s Child released its first video, “No, No, No.” I remember me and my friends, all the black girls, seeing this different kind of black girl, one we hadn’t really seen before. They all seemed like us, but there was also something very Diana Ross–ish about Beyoncé, even at the very beginning, where your eyes were drawn to her. You didn’t even really understand why, but you knew it wasn’t just about the vocals. I gravitated to all of them so easily and so quickly, and I remember thinking, They’re like me. They’re like us. I could see something of me in them, in her. They were our generation.

Beyoncé was also a black queen. I saw in her Diana Ross but also Lena Horne, and I thought: So that’s what beauty is. That’s what it means to be hot. That’s what it means to step in the forefront.

I also immediately wanted to protect her, like she was my bud. Years after I first saw her perform with Michelle [Williams] and Kelly [Rowland] at the House of Blues in Chicago, when she stepped out for her first solo album, I remember thinking, Oh man, I hope this is good. I was nervous for her because I loved Destiny’s Child, every iteration of it, and didn’t want any of their success or power to go away. Of course, it didn’t; it grew.