Being a long-time fan of Queen B, I am easily swayed when it comes to her influence on the music industry. I lapped up Lemonade; upon its release, I had reached peak Beyoncé. I obsessed over the visuals, each not-so-discrete jibe at Jay-Z’s now self-confessed infidelity, the memes – just who the heck was Becky with the good hair? When she sings, I – and many others in their thousands – listen.

But I have limits when it comes to celebrity endorsement. The only time I ever really bought into one was when JLO released her Glow perfume (iconic) and, being a naive 12-year-old, I figured if I could smell like her, maybe similar fortunes and success might befall me. Naturally, neither did.

How far would you go for an idol? Would you go vegan for Beyoncé Knowles-Carter herself? This was the question posed on the internet on Thursday as she broke her silence in an intriguing post on social media.

In a green and black text-based post on Instagram, Beyoncé mysteriously told her 123 million followers, that her “greenprint” is “plant-based for breakfast” and “meatless Mondays,” but the caption what really created a stir. It said that followers could win free tickets to her shows, as well as her husband Jay-Z’s shows for life if they click the link in her bio.

“What is your Greenprint? Click the link in my bio for a chance to win tickets to any JAY and/or my shows for life. #greenprintproject,” it reads.

 

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A post shared by Beyoncé (@beyonce) on Jan 30, 2019 at 7:51pm PST

And just so you know, “life” in this case, means free concerts for 30 years, at one concert per tour.

it’s clearly an ad, sponsored by 22-Days Nutrition, a line of plant-based protein bars and powders started by Beyoncé’s trainer Marco Borges (with whom Bey and Jay also created the meal-planing system) the Greenprint initiative is encouraging people to be plant-forward for the environment.

It all seems relatively tame, simply by entering your name and email into the site, you get entered into a database which will choose a winner at random in May. It appears you don’t actually have to do anything – or actually become a vegan – to avail of the prize.

The good intent is there; we all know we need to do more to save the environment.

Related: My struggles with sustainability and a meat-free life 

So, it isn’t exactly worrying that she’s an ambassador for a healthy eating plan, but on the other side of that coin, it is a concern that she’s encouraging her fanbase to essentially change their eating habits – something that shouldn’t be done at whim for a celebrity – in exchange for free swag.

Worrying trends

The latter may be an OTT point of view to some, who may view the PR stunt as a quality margeting ploy done to solely increase brand awareness – along with veganism – and nothing more.  But she stands upon a huge public platform and has many impressionable young fans – any stunt will generate significant interest.

Who couldn’t say that some could be tempted to drastically change what they eat, without proper guidance, all based upon an ad?

Public figures have a responsibility in this way so when the lines of celebrity endorsement and health begin to blur, worrying ‘trends’ can and do inevitably start to appear.

Look at the dangerous after-effects of the #KylieJennerLipChallange or the fact that the Kardashians all promote diet pills and waist trainers – with no word on the negative side effects of either – while making millions?

I’m all for going green and sustainability is something that we all believe in at IMAGE, but being honest, I prefer it when Beyoncé serves lemonade.