In Beyoncé’s “Formation” music video, the theme of unity during hardship is presented through the concept of drowning. This theme is exemplified in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina and also in the empty swimming pool scene. In the music video a large focus is on the black community and sticking together. The empowered black women that spend time with Beyoncé, and Beyoncé herself are key examples of this unity. Through the prevailing use of water, Beyoncé was able to display the hard truth of how violence and hatred affects the black community and how sticking together helps combat these issues. 

The swimming pool segment is a captivating scene that utilizes the symbolism of water. Beyoncé and a group of women are inside of this swimming pool and they are dancing. The women in the pool are all black and other than Beyonce, all of them have afro hairstyles. Despite these similarities, their differences are most important. None of the women have exactly the same outfit on. They may have similar patterns of clothing, but each woman has a different style in wardrobe and shoes. This is important. Despite their differences, these women still dance together in “Formation” and are a unified front.  The women show this through their powerful dance motions such as linking arms, flexing their biceps and leaning on one another for support. All of this is happening while lyrics such as “I slay, I slay” are playing. This sends a message to the audience that black women can empower one another. When they are supportive of one another, the women are able to accomplish more, and can stand up for themselves against haters. Beyoncé is telling the black community, especially women, that in the face of hardship one can only stay afloat with the help of others. If you try to stand alone, you will drown in the sea of opposition.

In the Formation music video, Beyoncé is lying on top of a New Orleans police car. Hurricane Katrina happened in 2005 in New Orleans. Not only did the hurricane devastate communities in Louisiana, but it also left many people impoverished and helpless. The way that the hurricane cleanup was facilitated back in 2005 was greatly debated, and still is questioned to this day. Many people claimed that not enough aid was given by the government, and one of the reasons for this was because New Orleans is primarily a low-income black community. Unfortunately this is one of many examples of racial inequality and lack of consideration that has occurred in our country throughout time. Beyoncé used a New Orleans cop car as a symbol of racial inequality. The New Orleans clean up affected not only the people of New Orleans, but also the black community all over our nation. In the scene, Beyoncé is wearing a longer red colored dress. The red is a symbol for blood and hatred. Blood has been shed over the course of history because of ignorance towards black people. Much of this ignorance stems from hatred. This hatred led to discrimination and inequality between the black community and the rest of society. In order to combat this hatred, members of the black community have joined together to protect one another. As Beyonce lies on top of the cop car the water from the hurricane is closing in on her. Instead of struggling to stay afloat, she simply sinks beneath the water. This symbolizes the “drowning” a black member of society goes through when they do not have anyone to keep them afloat during hard times. Unlike the empty swimming pool scene, Beyoncé is all by herself. Without the help of a strong community, she sunk into the violence and hatred that she faced. Even a strong black woman like Beyonce faltered below the floodwater because she had no one watching out for her.

The Formation music video evokes a strong sense of community for the viewer. Beyoncé exemplifies the suffering of the black community through the concept of drowning. The directed audience is the black community. She is sending a message to members of this community and encouraging them to stick together and stand up for their rights. Although anyone can feel a sense of empowerment through Beyoncé’s lyrics, it is specifically directed towards black women. Beyoncé is sending a message saying “you are strong, despite the hardships you have endured”. In both water scenes in the music video Beyonce exemplifies how drowning can occur if the black community does not support one another.

In a perfect world, issues like racial injustice would not exist. However, members of the black community suffer regularly from these problems. Until racial injustice is corrected, people with large social platforms like Beyoncé will keep the conversation going with videos like Formation. Formation is able to speak to black viewers in a personal way, evoking a strong sense of personal duty. It highlights the ways that women can boost morale and help each other during trying times. Sticking together and helping out one another is what keeps individuals in the black community from drowning. Without a strong group, a person is unable to stay afloat in our modern day society.
