Beyoncé Giselle Knowles

• Public image
Knowles has stated: "I like to dress sexy and I carry myself like a lady," but she has said that the way she dresses on stage is "absolutely for the stage". The media often use the term "Bootylicious" (a portmanteau of the words booty and delicious), to describe Knowles because of her curves. The term was made widely known by the Destiny's Child single of the same name, and has been added to the Oxford English Dictionary. As someone who is fond of fashion, Knowles combines its artistic elements with her music videos and performances. According to Italian fashion designer Roberto Cavalli, she uses different styles and tries to harmonize it with the music while performing. The B'Day Anthology Video Album showed many instances of fashion-oriented footage, depicting classic to contemporary wardrobe styles. People magazine recognized Knowles as the best-dressed celebrity in 2007. Knowles' mother wrote a 2002-published book, titled Destiny's Style: Bootylicious Fashion, Beauty and Lifestyle Secrets From Destiny's Child, an account of how fashion had an impact on Destiny's Child's success. As one of the most media-exposed black celebrities in the United States, Knowles has often received criticism that some believe is due to racism and sexism. Toure of Rolling Stone stated that since the release of Dangerously in Love (2003), "Beyoncé has become a crossover sex symbol a la Halle Berry ..." In 2006, the animal rights organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), had criticized Knowles for wearing fur coats and using fur in her clothing line House of Deréon.
During the release of Rihanna's second album A Girl Like Me (2006), many critics felt that her image was too heavily similar to Knowles'. Some media even claimed that Jay-Z fashioned her to be a replica of Knowles. Amina Taylor of The Guardian described Rihanna as the "Bajan Beyoncé". In 2007, Knowles was featured on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, and became the first non-model and non-athlete woman to pose on the issue, and the second model of African American descent after Tyra Banks. In the same year, Knowles appeared on billboards and newspapers across the United States showing her holding an antiquated cigarette holder. Taken from the back cover of B'Day, the image provoked response from an anti-smoking group, stating that she did not need to add the cigarette holder "to make herself appear more sophisticated". Knowles has several wax figures of herself at Madame Tussauds Wax Museums in major cities around the world, including New York, Washington, D.C., Amsterdam, Bangkok and Hollywood.
In March 2009, comparisons were made between the fashions of Knowles and Ciara, when the latter released the music video of her single "Love Sex Magic". In the video, Ciara is seen wearing a black leotard and metallic glasses, similar to those worn by Knowles in both her "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" and "Diva" videos. However, Ciara stated that her outfits were "inspired by the Vegas shows" she attended. In September 2010, Knowles made her runway modelling debut at Tom Ford's Spring/Summer 2011 fashion show. In February 2011, LA Times magazine placed Knowles at number 25 on its list of the 50 Most Beautiful Women in Film. During the same month, Knowles appeared on the cover of the March issue of French fashion magazine L'Officiel, in honor of the magazine's 90th anniversary and in tribute to Nigerian musician Fela Kuti. Knowles appeared in blackface and tribal makeup, that had drawn criticism from the media. A statement released from a spokesperson for the magazine, said that Knowles' look was "far from the glamorous Sasha Fierce" and explained that it was "a return to her African roots, as you can see on the picture, on which her face was voluntarily darkened." In June 2011, Knowles became the first major solo female artist to perform on the Pyramid stage, in over twenty years, at the Glastonbury Festival in England. Men's Health magazine named Knowles one of the "100 Hottest Women of All-Time", ranking her at number 33. In 2012, she was named "World's Most Beautiful Woman" by People magazine.