In recent weeks the word reclamation has been used a lot, primarily in regards to Beyoncé and her new country album. On the album’s cover the singer sits side saddle on a white horse while holding the American flag. The image is striking, causing easy provocation. A Black woman in possession of one of the country’s most hallowed symbols, dressed in rodeo garb, riding off on a horse as her platinum blonde hair blows in the wind. One wonders where she’ll have us follow her on that white horse she’s on. In another photo, she reinterprets herself as the Statue of Liberty instead of being adorned in gaudy green paint, she allows her long braids and sash to cover her otherwise naked body while she stands tall, trading the torch for a lit cigar.
