I spoke to some other R29ers about “Single Ladies” and they told me stories about how it transformed them and their relationships. Associate Entertainment Editor Maia Efrem shared this sentiment: “It took encouragement from Bey to truly understand that I was the writer of my narrative, an assertiveness that stayed with me through my marriage. Something my husband liked, so he put a ring on it.” And our Crime Writer Leah Carroll, who is also married, recalled an awkward moment with an ex that chided her for “buying into outdated notions of monogamy” when she asked if he had plans to propose. “We heard it the first time when she performed on SNL and just watched in the most uncomfortable silence because this was a man who was basically incapable of being shamed - but even he was shamed when Beyonce told him he should be.”