What is a Beyonce Voter and Why Is The Term So Offensive? [VIDEO]

Are you a Beyonce voter? According to a report I watched this morning, the Beyonce voter is coveted during this Presidential election campaign. But, when you look at the definition, you realize it's actually pretty insulting. All the single ladies aren't looking for a handout!

I was actually pretty shocked when I watched this brief report from Elizabeth Plank, who is a Senior Editor at Mic, formerly known as PolicyMic, a leading news and media company for young adults, In this installment, Plank discusses 'Beyonce voters.' For anyone unfamiliar with the artist, pop singer Beyonce had a hit song called 'All the Single Ladies' that suggests 'You should've put a ring on it.'

The term refers to young women who are not self-reliant. It suggests that the average American woman is looking for a handout, whether it's from her husband or her government. If they don't have a husband, they're relying on the government to provide for them. Because, according to some pundits apparently, 'all the single women' need someone else to pick up the check.

As a not-so-young-anymore single woman, I take offense at this ideology. In the late 1980's, when my children were very small and I was newly divorced, I provided for them. Housing, food, clothing, and health insurance. I got no handouts. And when I remarried, it wasn't because I needed someone else to pay the bills. I still worked and provided everything for them, including health insurance.

The stereotype of 'Beyonce voters' takes me back to when I was very young in the late 1960's, when it was generally believed that boys would go to college, but women would have husbands to take care of them. And, if a woman wanted to have a career, it was suggested that she work as a teacher or nurse. Radio DJ? That was a man's occupation!

We've come a long way since the 1960's and, while there will always be a certain percentage of Americans who need to rely on government help (women AND men), there are plenty who can pay the bills on their own. And the idea that a woman needs a husband or the government to support her is archaic.

So I offer this message for the upcoming Presidential election. If you want me to cross you off my list of possible candidates, refer to young women as Beyonce voters. All the single ladies can take care of themselves, thank you very much!