Back to the song, Loren Gray is saying she can handle herself and she needs a man who not only recognizes that, but appreciates it. It's been a common thing in popular culture lately for women to refer to themselves as a "queen." But how many really understand what it's like to be a queen? How many have thoroughly studied statecraft and are ready to make executive decisions based on little to no information, as provided by a group of carefully selected advisers? I would reckon very few. I think, though, that the intention is to say that they're queens of their own respective domains. When I think of a queen, I think of someone who is looking to do what's best for everyone involved (not just what she wants). She's intelligent and can think for herself, but doesn't expect others to agree automatically and appreciates having a diversity of opinions to guide her. And, most of all, a queen shows grace under pressure - falling apart just because things went sideways is just not in her repertoire. Queens don't have the luxury of doing that, because everyone is counting on her to lead by example. Yes, that's a lot to live up to, but kingdoms (even small ones) rise and fall with their rulers, so it's important to uphold one's ideals, even when that's difficult.
There's really not much to say on this song. It's fun and it's a good song to use doing a warm-up. Instead, I've selected a few historical queens that I admire. Unfortunately, my favorite historical figure, Marie Antoinette, is not one of them. As much as I love her, she was kind of a shitty queen. Not her fault - royalty in Europe, and especially in France, had been declining for years. It was only a matter of time before the people rose up. Marie Antoinette was not groomed for being a leader - her mother, Empress Maria Theresa of Austria, used her and her sisters as political pawns to gain influence, but did not actually teach them statecraft despite being a successful ruler herself. I will argue to the death, though, that it was unnecessary to behead her and that the Jacobins were a bloodthirsty group of zealots - she was a victim of her time, pauvre Marie Antoinette.
Catherine de' Medici
Catherine de'Medici is a woman after my own heart. She was an Italian woman born into a wealthy banking family (with all the benefits, physical and intellectual, that this position bestowed) who married King Henry II of France. She wasn't exactly beautiful, but she was smart and knew how to wield influence like a beast. Catherine ruled France as regent when her first son took the thrown at the age of 10 and after he died, she was instrumental when her third son, Henry III, became king. She served as a political adviser and he still followed her guidance even after her death. She was a big patron of the arts, which was lucky because this was during the heart of the Renaissance period. Catherine de'Medici was also very interested in the occult and during her reign, the study of astrology and use of tarot cards gained popularity. She was also a patron of Nostradamus and she kept a personal necromancer/master of the dark arts, Cosimo Ruggeri, with her at court. I imagine he was like Constantine, except more Italian. Catherine de'Medici is still considered one of the most powerful women to have ruled France.
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| Catherine de'Medici |
Boudica
For those who have played Civilization V, Boudica is the ruler who represents Celts. She is my personal favorite to play, because she gets a significant religious bonus during gameplay (and, for some reason, I enjoy watching whatever religion I create spread across the whole map). As fun as she is to play, however, it must be said that the actual Boudica was a legit badass. She was queen of a Celtic tribe who led an uprising against Roman forces, who were in the business of conquering Britain at the time. She failed, of course, but she is celebrated fondly as a British folk hero. Historical records describe her as a fierce warrior and leader. She saw the mistreatment of her people, the Iceni, by the Romans and acted accordingly. Boudica rallied her armies and did her best to beat back the encroaching threat of the Roman forces. At first, it seemed like she would be triumphant - prior to the final battle, she gave a rousing speech, saying that the gods were on their side because her cause was just. I think it's important to note that she was facing impossible odds - the Romans were going to conquer Britain regardless of whatever uprisings occurred. But her courage, determination, and devotion to her people's well-being are still admirable.
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| Boudica |
Speaking of queens, I'm going to take this opportunity to share one of my favorite comic book illustrators, as she just recently re-opened her online store. Her name is Jen Bartel and you can check out her illustrations at her website (https://www.jenbartel.com/). She has done cover work for all the bigs (Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, etc.) and she's the co-creator of "Blackbird," which I haven't read yet because I missed subscribing when they published the first issue, but I'm hoping they'll compile all the issues into a single volume when the series is complete. Today was payday and I probably spent to much, but I'm trying to show my support for other small-time artists and writers by spending money on their work. What a concept!
"Queen" Video
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