Happy Birthday, Beyonce! The 7 Things You've Taught Us About Being a Better Woman

Happy birthday, Beyonce! The singer turns 32 today and during her decade and a half in the spotlight, she's taught us a few things about life. Here are seven lessons to learn from the successful songstress.

1. Never fake it. Unlike Miley Cyrus, Beyonce doesn’t twerk—then again, she doesn’t need to. Whether she’s dancing, posing for an ad campaign, or mugging for an Instagram selfie, her sexuality never comes off as desperate or contrived — just natural and comfortable.

2. Go for what you want … you just might get it all. As a kid in Houston, Beyonce didn't just spend her time auditioning and trying to be a star, she enrolled in a music magnet school and, later, in the city's High School for the Performing and Visual Arts to learn all she could about the craft and the business. After finding success as a member of girl group Destiny's Child, Bey tried her hand at acting and a solo music career. The latter catapulted her to superstar status and made her millions (and more millions). She jumped into marriage and motherhood just as hard, marrying music mogul Jay-Z at age 26 and becoming mom to daughter Blue Ivy in 2012. Is she the new face of modern-day feminism? Maybe. Is she a strong example for girls and women everywhere? Definitely.

3. Your body is perfect, as is. In May, Beyonce became retailer H&M’s poster girl for its spring/summer 2013 ad campaign. The photos were classic Bey — glam, sultry, and sexy. However, when the singer saw the photos, she reportedly hit the roof at the amount of airbrushing the company had applied to the images. According to the New York Daily News, the body-positive singer refused to green-light the pics until they were restored to their natural, curvy state.

4. Own up to mistakes. In January, Bey took admitted she lip-synced the “Star Spangled Banner” during the presidential inaugural ceremony. Instead of spending time responding to accusations that she had poor singing chops, Bey called a press conference and simply owned up to the fact that she had sung her own pre-recorded track due to simply being unprepared. Then, she ordered reporters to stand while she sang the national anthem for real. “Any questions?” she asked when she finished. Nice.

5. Social media anxiety is normal. Beyonce’s Super Bowl halftime performance in February was undeniably fierce. The photos that surfaced the following morning? Not so much. When Buzzfeed published a series of unflattering photos from Bey’s set, her publicist intervened, asking the website to remove them. Sure, the move brought more attention to the images, but it also portrayed Bey as a normal girl who doesn't necessarily look amazing in every photo.

6. You don't have to pretend everything is perfect all the time. The documentary "Life is But a Dream" gave fans an inside glimpse into her life as wife to Jay-Z, doting mom to toddler Blue Ivy, and feminist icon to the world. Beyonce's fears about motherhood, stormy family relationships, and job insecurities made women everywhere feel comforted about their own private battles.

7. Don't be afraid of a little change. The singer recently chopped her classic, long wavy locks into a blonde pixie cut, then added wavy extensions. Not only was she willing to break conventional beauty standards, she gave the world's short-haired ladies a much-needed shout-out