I have the annoying habit of embarrassing myself in public quite often.
Whether I’m tripping while walking up the stairs (who does that?!) or spilling my coffee all over the place before I’ve even taken the first glorious sip, I usually wind up standing with my head held in shame and a look of horror on my face as bystanders pass me by while either secretly taking small pleasure in my clumbsiness or paying me no attention at all (New Yorkers are so kind, right?).
In moments like those, each time I can’t help but wonder–what would Beyoncé do?
Now Queen Bey rarely ever falters, because, well, duh, she’s Yoncé.
But during those brief inconsequential moments when she does, she plays it off so cooly you never ever notice it.
It’s about time that someone like me take note from these 5 moments Beyoncé taught all of us how to recover from embarassment gracefully.
1. When her hair got caught in the fan…and she didn’t miss a single note.
In 2013 while snatching edges during a Mrs. Carter Show World Tour stop, a fan–yes, a literal motor running fan–dared to try to snatch the wig off of Queen Bey’s head. The strands of her lovely blonde tresses got caught in the fan blades and she couldn’t get them out, but because she’s a performer who you never see sweat the small stuff, Blue Ivy’s mama kept on singing “Halo” as if the fan moment had never happened.
The lesson: Even when the elements try to disrupt your crown, never let anything steal your shine.
2. When she fell down the stairs…and continued to slay through the pain.
No one can sing the “you tried it” anthem “Ring the Alarm” from the underrated B’Day album without going hard. Even Mrs. Carter found herself caught up while performing the song at an Orlando show. Rocking a red flowing trench coat along with boots that were to die for, Yonce took a tumble but in true flawless fashion, Beyoncé rose from the bottom step, tossed her hair and carried on with her perfomance because a momentary setback will never stop her show.
The lesson: Even the mighty can fall, but when it happens, you must dust yourself off and try again (R.I.P. Aaliyah).
3. When her sister attacked her husband in an elevator…and it was caught on camera and became all everyone could talk about.
We might not ever know what really happened in 2014 when Solange attacked Jay Z in an elevator following the MET Gala. In fact, there will likely be tall tales until the end of time exaggerating what led up to the moment the singer swung her arm and lifted her leg in Mr. Carter’s direction as Beyoncé stood in the corner and allowed security to break up the scuffle while trying not to intervene. As the elevator doors opened, The Knowles-Carter family emerged with Solange looking visibly annoyed and Hov certainly looking upset. Because she knew the cameras would be waiting, Beyoncé had her courteous church smile plastered across her face ready for each and every flash. She said it best, “Of course sometimes shit goes down when there’s a billion dollars on an elevator!”
The lesson: You never know who’s watching and even when you do, it’s best to never let them catch you slipping!
4. When gravity tried to play her during the Super Bowl…but she reigned supreme.
Beyoncé called for us all to get in formation just in time for her surprise Super Bowl performance in 2016. Dressed as a nod to the G.O.A.T. Michael Jackson with her backup dancers paying tribute to the Black panthers, Mama Tina’s oldest daughter gave us yet another reason to love her. In one instance, her body proved to almost be too bootylicious and she neary fell on her backside–luckily, not even gravity could pull her down. She took lemons and made lemonade from a potentially embarrasing moment and never skipped a beat.
The lesson: Even if you skip, stumble and nearly fall, always let your bounce back be better than ever.
5. When she sliced her ear lobe on stage…and wiped away the blood mid-song.
While performing at the Tidal X 1015 concert at Brooklyn’s Barclay Center in October, Beyoncé’s earring sliced her ear open resulting in blood dripping from the gash. Because she was singing “Haunted” one would assume the rather traumatic incident would cause Yoncé to lose her cool but it was quite the opposite in fact. She merely kept singing without missing a beat, note or step because, you know, she’s a true performer who is clearly unfazed by bodily fluids.
The lesson: Don’t ever let a little boo-boo stop you…the show much always go on!
Beyoncé continuing to perform after her earring ripped from her ear and started bleeding. A true performer. pic.twitter.com/FvyICuxVAb
— ㅤ (@TheDailyBey) October 16, 2016
Amen? Amen!