Beyoncé Knowles was in school like everyone else before she was Mrs. Carter and even before she was Sasha Fierce, and she was bullied for being shy. Tina Knowles, Beyoncé’s mother, explained that the woman we now know as Queen B wasn’t always the secure, head turner, Grammy-winning mega-star that we all know and love. Her soft and timid qualities made her a prey for bullies. Knowles got emotional and passionate reflecting how diverse they were when they were younger and how far they’ve come when she recalled on raising Beyoncé, Solange, and Kelly Rowland.
“Beyoncé—she was very shy, and she got bullied a bit,” Knowles told in a video interview with Vogue. “But the day that she stood up for someone—she didn’t stand up for herself but she stood up for them, I’m getting emotional talking about it—I couldn’t have been more proud.”
Knowles also cited that her daughter Solange has “always been an activist,” back to her elementary days.
“Solange, she was only in about fifth grade and she was out getting petitions signed,” Tina counted. “So, she was always an activist.”
Kelly Rowland, who Knowles sometimes calls her adopted daughter, Tina recalls her as being someone who kept a level head.
“I remember her being this little peacemaker,” she described.
Knowles shared the video on her Instagram, captioning, “Each child is different! But all so special. I believe kids are born with their personalities. My three girls all handled things very differently. Learn their personalities and respect the individuality.”
She said that she loved bragging about her kids and that she saw it as a way to encourage them, regardless of their passions.
“Never compare the negatives, always praise the positive differences and pay attention to the things that you can brag on about them,” she added. “They love it and it encourages positive behavior.”
In 2021, Beyoncé admitted to being shy as a child. She mentioned that she doesn’t regret being shy and that it actually taught her empathy. These days, she is anything but shy.
“I am now grateful for those shy years of silence,” she told Harper’s Bazaar. “Being shy taught me empathy and gave me the ability to connect and relate to people. I’m no longer shy, but I’m not sure I would dream as big as I dream today if it were not for those awkward years in my head.”
