Being Beyoncé's younger sibling is tough. But Solange has masterfully created her own unique image and brand, from her style to her sound to her totally tranquil interviews. As talented as she is as a singer and performer, she has also made herself known for her insightful interviews and zen-like state. This was especially clear reading her conversation with BUST for her cover story in their April/May issue. Since spring time is known as a time of rebirth, it only makes sense to have someone as refreshing as Solange grace their cover as the face of the season, especially following her emotional 2016 album, A Seat at the Table, which goes into the troubles and intricacies of being a black female artist as well as a woman in general.
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In the interview, the 30-year-old talks about what being a feminist means to her, as a black woman and mother. The complexities of her quotes reflect the very nature of what it means to be a feminist in 2017, and how the word can mean something extremely different to each individual.
"I am a proud black feminist and womanist, and I'm extremely proud of the work that's being done," Solange told the publication. "I'm a feminist who wants not only to hear the term intersectionality but actually feel it, and see the evolution of what intersectional feminism can actually achieve. I want women's rights to be equally honored, and uplifted, and heard...but I want to see us fighting the fight for all women — women of color, our LGBTQ sisters, our Muslim sisters. I want to see millions of us marching out there for our rights, and I want to see us out there marching for the rights of women like Dajerria Becton, who was body-slammed by a cop while she was in her swimsuit for simply existing as a young, vocal black girl. I think we are inching closer and closer there, and for that, I am very proud."
She added: "I think that as women, and as black women in general, we're always having to fight two times harder. And you know, even with my videos, I was so invested in the visual storytelling, of wanting to see black men and women in the way that I see them every day, which is powerful but graceful but also vulnerable and also regal and stately. And how we use style as a language, and our pageantry, and how we communicate."