When my daughter was born, my husband and I would joke that she was “objectively cute.”
Sure, we’d say it in an ‘ironic’ tone but deep down, I think we really meant it. We would gush, staring at her face for hours, commenting on her tiny nose, her perfectly round head (thanks caesarean), and how her eyes just seemed brighter than all of the other babies we knew. Except when we look back on those newborn photos now, nearly three years later, we realise that while she was cute in the way that all newborns are, but her resemblance to an elderly Greek man (she is half-Greek after all) was also undeniable. It’s the haze that many parents have; that your child is perfect....or in the case of Beyoncé, iconic.
I was reminded of this love bubble when I read that Beyoncé is trying to trademark her seven-year-old's name, Blue Ivy Carter. The entertainment mogul is in dispute with wedding planner Wendy Morales, who claims to have been using the name 'Blue Ivy' for her boutique events business since 2017. She is trying to stop the trademark from going ahead, however lawyers for Beyoncé believe the Carter in Blue Ivy Carter distinguishes the two names.
Beyoncé’s legal team are arguing that Blue Ivy Carter is a “cultural icon" and the idea “that consumers are likely to be confused between a boutique wedding event planning business and Blue Ivy Carter, the daughter of two of the most famous performers in the world, is frivolous and should be refused in its entirety.”
Look, you might see this as corporate Beyoncé taking things too far (or maybe the ultimate move in ensuring no one steals your baby name) but what parent doesn’t think their child is iconic?
Sure, the measures are a little extreme, but isn’t this just the ultimate parenting brag? I’ve heard parents at the park talk about how advanced their baby must be because they’ve started noticing their hands, and hell, when my daughter counted four sides on a square last week, I was already imagining her having a leading career in STEM or engineering. Because if a parent doesn’t think their child is the best and brightest, who else will? Grandparents, maybe, but that’s a whole other can of worms.
And it’s clear that Beyoncé and Jay-Z are proud of their kids. Blue Ivy is often accompanying her parents to events (remember when she stole the show at the Grammy Awards last year?), and she also makes a cameo in Queen Bey’s Homecoming documentary on Netflix. In June, while promoting her film the Lion King, Beyoncé posted a video of iconic Blue mouthing the words to ‘The Circle Of Life’. I mean, talk about relatable parenting content. (Hit up my Instagram if you want to see a video of my child singing ‘Apples and Bananas’, by the way).
So we could choose to see this as capitalism at its worst, but if Beyoncé really thinks her daughter is iconic, who am I to judge? Most parents think their kids are the best, smartest, funniest and brightest, it's just that it takes a mother with the confidence of Beyoncé to actually say it out loud.
Caitlin Chang is editor of SBS Voices. Follow her incessant parent brags on Twitter at @caitlinchang
