Matriarch: A Memoir

Holy Rosary Catholic School is symbolic of trauma. Knowles began attending this school when she was in kindergarten. Although still a little child, she faced immediate physical and emotional abuse. The nuns not only struck her, but also verbally ridiculed and demeaned her. Knowles made repeated attempts to appeal to her mother, desperate to leave the school. However, Agnes refused to address the situation and forced her to stay for several more years. It was at Holy Rosary that Knowles was taught that she was wicked, devious, and unworthy.

Although she eventually convinced her parents to transfer her to the public school, the trauma from Holy Rosary stayed with her for decades. In the memoir’s later chapters, Knowles describes her therapy work to confront and heal from this trauma. She specifically tackled how Agnes’s failure to acknowledge the abuse she was suffering at Holy Rosary weighed on her psyche. She was vulnerable in this setting and her mother did nothing to protect or deliver her.

Knowles’s business Headliners is a symbol of self-discovery and personal strength. After Knowles had Beyoncé, she struggled to reclaim her life outside the context of her home and family. Finally, with her friend Cheryl’s encouragement and support, she pursued her dream of opening a salon. Her idea behind the business was “to create a hair salon that would cater to professional women,” as she “wanted to treat [her] clientele and their time as valuable” (164). Opening Headliners was Knowles’s way of claiming her own vision, talent, and power. The business was an immediate success. She created a space for her clients to relax and feel beautiful, but Headliners also helped countless budding stylists launch their own careers.

Via Headliners, Knowles redefined caretaking and self-pride in a new way. In realizing her own dream, she was in turn able to help others realize their dreams. She later gave the business to her assistant, Abel Gomez, when she decided to style for Destiny’s Child full-time. This gift was another way for Knowles to claim her identity and strength. She had done what she could with the business, and now wanted someone else to take joy in it.