People are getting way too comfortable with hating women, especially in this day and age. Personally, I don’t know why this is the case. What I do know, however, is that this hate gets to us, especially when the media starts telling us who we’re supposed to be. With so many confusing ideals constantly being stuffed into our heads, we females start to doubt ourselves, physically and mentally. So, here are some song recommendations for my lady Raiders who want to overcome doubtful thoughts, because your worth starts on the inside.
This song is about choosing to leave a relationship to focus on yourself. The relationship in “No. 1” is presumably toxic, as Tyla sings the line “Free from your grip in the world” and Tems sings the line “How dare you call me ‘babe’ when you can’t be trusted,” making the song all the more empowering. The message I got from this song is that leaving a relationship when things go awry—regardless of toxicity—is the best thing you can do to protect your peace of mind.
“Scars to Your Beautiful” by Alessia Cara
This song is about appreciating outer and inner beauty, urging the female-targeted audience to love themselves as they are. Cara also sheds light on eating disorders and how they shape a harmful mindset. The lines “Beauty is pain, and there’s beauty in everything; what’s a little bit of hunger?/I could go a little while longer/She fades away” highlight the painful effects of what happens when young girls believe being thin equates to being beautiful. The message I got from this song is that your worth isn’t tied to your physical appearance, but instead to your inner beauty.
“Still Don’t Care” by Meghan Trainor
This song was inspired by events in Trainor’s life, including her “drastic” change in physical appearance. It was also the first single released before her latest album, Toy With Me, dropped on April 24th. Trainor wrote “Still Don’t Care” as a way to stick it to her haters, asking them, “Are you in my head? Nope, I still don’t care.” The takeaway I got from this song is that haters will always hate; just keep being your amazing self.
“That’s My Girl” by Fifth Harmony
This song embodies female empowerment, especially since the group consisted of five beautiful women from diverse backgrounds. Fifth Harmony directly encourages their audience with the lines “You’ve been down before/You’ve been hurt before/You got up before/You’ll be good to go, good to go.” The takeaway I got from this song is to persevere when times get tough, and you’ll always have a cheerleading section.
These songs are just some of my go-tos when I need a pick-me-up. For other uplifting songs that are sung by women, check out this playlist on YouTube.