Entertainment

Don't Jump To Conclusions About These Bey Photos

by Nina Bradley
Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

She ain't sorry. Following what many fans felt to be a direct snub of the Lemonade album, new photos have surfaced that raise the question: Is Beyoncé shading the Grammys after losing out on the three major categories at this year's ceremony? Let's not jump to any conclusions just yet.

A few recently released behind-the-scenes pics shared on Bey's hair stylist Neal Ferinah's Instagram reveal a very pregnant Beyoncé shortly after the ceremony, middle fingers blazing. It's worth mentioning that Bey, of course, looks amazing as usual — birds flipped, baby bump, and all. However, it's kind of hard to determine whether or not the 35-year-old expectant mother's flipped-finger salute is a direct shot at the 2017 Grammys or just a moment of innocent fun.

It's clear that the poses for the snapshots were certainly staged, but it's also worth noting that the stoic stances do bear a striking resemblance to a very distinct scene from Beyoncé's "Formation" video. If you're a fan, like me, looking through Ferinah's IG is a real treat. It's filled with various moments from the Knowles-Carters' evening at the Grammys before, during, and after the ceremony, and even shares a glimpse of Bey's mother, Tina Knowles, joining in on her oldest baby girl's middle digit mantra.

No doubt, it was a huge night for the entire clan — Beyoncé's sister, Solange, won her very first Grammy, while Bey revealed her baby bump for the first time in person, during an epic stage performance as her hubby, Jay Z and daughter, Blue Ivy looked on adoringly from the audience.

In addition to her highly anticipated performance, Beyoncé was also nominated for a whopping nine Grammys this year, and although she managed to take home two, she shockingly failed to score a win in any of the three major categories for the night.

Fans were undoubtedly blindsided, watching the Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Record of the Year awards all go to Adele, who herself couldn't even believe that her album, 25, had beaten out Beyoncé's Lemonade for the top spots. So much so, that during her AOTY acceptance speech, Adele basically admitted that she didn't deserve to take home the trophy and broke it in half to share with Beyoncé. She later went on to better sum up her feelings backstage, “I thought it was her year. What the f*ck does she have to do to win Album of the Year?" she asked, continuing to question her win.

The moment shed light on a subject that plenty of people have been preaching for years: The Grammys seemingly has a lack of understanding and/or appreciation for black music. And while it's immediately unclear if Bey and Mama Tina share those same sentiments, they certainly continued the night with their "middle fingers up" and "hands high," seemingly unbothered by the whole thing.

I mean, hey, I suppose Queen B has far more pressing issues than the Grammy Awards to concern herself with, right? Or perhaps she's simply decided to take a page out of her very own "Formation" playbook: "Always stay gracious, best revenge is your paper." #Slay