“Feminist: a person who believes in the social, political and economic equality of the sexes.” These are the words Beyoncé borrows from Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie in “Flawless,” the fifth single from her self-titled fifth studio album released last December.

Recently deciding to use her popularity to champion the feminist movement, Beyoncé has reshaped her image and refers to herself as a “modern-day feminist.”

As with any artist’s attempt to incorporate a social or political agenda into his or her work, Beyoncé embracing feminism has been met with criticism. While opponents of the feminist movement object to her spreading of its ideology, some of its proponents feel she does not go far enough in her feminism, with Annie Lennox of Eurhythmics calling her “tokenistic” and referring to her approach to the ideology as “feminist lite.”

It is true that attaining celebrity status does not obligate a person to become any kind of advocate, but all celebrities have an elevated position from which they can more easily engage in advocacy. Regardless of gender, any pop star can affect some sort of positive change. Part of having this power to affect the industry means fighting for gender equality, and an even more specific part of this means criticizing artists who oppose feminism.

For example, all artists have the authority to call out others like Robin Thicke, whose 2013 hit “Blurred Lines” perpetuated rape culture and minimized the importance of consent. Beyoncé does not do this. Even if she and other celebrities are not comfortable with public denunciations of artists like Thicke, they should distance themselves from problematic artists and own up to their own shortcomings.

Whether Beyoncé is successfully capturing the feminist movement in her new persona or falling short, there is no denying that her adoption of the movement into her work has revitalized public discourse on feminism. Her feminism clearly poses problems, but if nothing else, Beyoncé has reminded the American public to look through the lens of feminism when considering social issues.

In doing so, she has likely inspired many younger fans to take an interest in the movement.

A version of this article appeared in the Fall 2014 Arts Issue. Email Sean McCready at [email protected].