LISTS: FEMINIST ANTHEMS WITH FRIENDS

TRIGGER WARNING: MENTIONS OF S.A

What does it mean to be a feminist? No, it does not mean having constant hatred for every man alive on this planet. Being a feminist is questioning how our society works and wanting things to change for the better for women no matter their skin colour, religion, sexual orientation, and so on. Feminism exists to benefit all women. It's about calling out inappropriate behavior from men or women. Yes, women can be sexist in obvious or subtle ways among each other. Some of my friends and I have selected songs that we think paint a portrait of various realities women are facing today. Some tracks convey messages of self-empowerment while the lyrics of some of the other songs are about being a survivor of assault. As you read our work, you will realize how different every song is from one another, on a musical and lyrical level. Enjoy this beautiful and meaningful melting pot. Thank you for being here.  

BWBB BY SOFTCULT (2021)

"BWBB" (which stands for "boys will be boys") seems like a simple enough statement on a syntactic level. It's no secret that society tends to throw around those four words recklessly without considering their violent and detrimental repercussions on survivors of sexual assault. In other words, when people–men or women, young or old–use those terms, they reinforce the idea that women are at fault for what happens to them. Boys don't need to get educated on how to recognize consent; women need to learn how to dress appropriately, and less "slutty". "Did you see the shorts she was wearing? It's like she was begging for something awful to happen to her." FUCKING NONSENSE!

Women should be able to walk back home at night feeling safe without worrying about taking a different route or having worn pants instead of a skirt. On this standout track from their 2022 EP "Year of the Snake," Mercedes and Phoenix Arn-Horn remind us that survivors are NOT to blame for what happened to them.

"It's not where she was, it's not how she dressed
And it's not her fault you don't know what consent is."

Owner of this blog, (if you know, you know), she/her

BALANCE TON QUOI BY ANGÈLE (2018)

#MeToo is a movement that revolutionized the world in 2017 as sexually abusive men in Hollywood, namely Harvey Weinstein, started being exposed. This allowed women to come together and fearlessly speak up about their experiences with sexual harassment and assault. The French version of #MeToo is #BalanceTonPorc, hence Angèle's title "Balance ton quoi." Yes, I'm writing about Angèle again, but hey, I can't help that she keeps creating music that raises awareness of important topics so excellently! In this hit song, she denounces how women are still treated in society, especially with the continuously rampant number of sexual violence cases. Add to that our society's blatant disregard of rape culture, i.e. teaching people how they can "avoid" getting assaulted and that survivors are the problem rather than putting assaulters at fault. While some people may view catcalling women as "no big deal," it actually depicts the undertones of rape culture itself, that is, if you're dressed a certain way, you're asking for it! Angèle expresses this in the bridge when she says, "Y'a plus d'respect dans la rue / Tu sais très bien quand t'abuses." It's not a compliment—it's disrespectful and scary, and perpetrators know that. Come on, we're in 2024 (woah) and this is still a huge issue?! Angèle says, "2018, j'sais pas c'qui t'faut, mais je suis plus qu'un animal," meaning that men should know by now that women shouldn't be treated like pieces of meat designed solely for their sexual pleasure and gaze. Nevertheless, the dehumanization and objectification is unfortunately ongoing (thanks a lot, pornography). But Angèle digs even deeper by touching on an overlooked yet equally important topic. In the song's second verse, she says, in annoyed tone, "Les gens me disent à demi-mot: Pour une fille belle, t'es pas si bête / Pour une fille drôle, t'es pas si laide." Women get judged and unfairly categorized into strict boxes based on their looks and personality. This really reminded me of Gloria's iconic speech in Barbie (2023)—no matter what we do, it just isn't enough, and no matter what we decide, we will always be shamed for both options. People tell Angèle that they expected her to be "ugly" because she's funny, yet also "stupid" because she's pretty. How ironic and idiotic! All I can say is I'm exhausted. Despite all this, I'm still fairly hopeful for the future. I truly believe that songs like this will help us change the way our society functions. Next time you're looking for a catchy feminist anthem to call out sexism with your pals, why don't you consider "Balance ton quoi"?

“One day maybe that will change…”

Cinth, she/her

DRESS BY SOFTCULT (2023) 

To follow up Ariane's paragraph on BWBB, here's another Softcult song! Dress, the third single from the band's 2023 EP See You In The Dark, is somewhat of a companion track to BWBB. As the chorus to BWBB includes the lyric "It's not how she dressed, and it's not her fault you don't know what consent is", Dress continues this with the lyric "It's a dress, not a yes, not a fucking invitation". Dress is about being assaulted at a party or night out with friends because some men see what a woman wears as an opportunity to have their way with them and it is not okay. Dress is one of Softcult's darkest songs lyrically. The music video is also visually dark with the amazing Sam Bielanski of the band PONY (highly recommend checking them out!) starring as the victim in the video.

Softcult are no stranger to this blog and these two songs discussed in this article are proof of how impactful and powerful Mercedes and Phoenix's message in their songwriting compositions are and why their music matters now more than ever. They are keeping the spirit of what the 90s Riot Grrl movement started alive.

Miracle, she/her 

LABOUR BY PARIS PALOMA (2023)

While this song has been TikTok cosplayed into oblivion, I think it deserves a mention on this list - there are few songs that had me so excited that I waited MONTHS for them to come out. The song “labour” contains multitudes - in part, it can be a comforting song for people currently going through abusive relationships and even toxic family dynamics.

Before I go into my feminist rant, I love everything about this song - the lyrics, the melody and how it goes from soft to an almost incantation, the absolutely gorgeous music video that is full of symbolism. While a lot of Paris Paloma’s work does include feminist themes, especially as tied to religion (see “the fruits”), if you are to listen to “the last beautiful thing that I saw blinded me” you will have a spiritual and sensual experience like no other and I feel like it has permanently damaged my ability to enjoy mid music (that’s rude lol). I hate to compare artists so I won’t but if you are into artists that make you feel like you are running through a forest you will definitely love what she does.

To me, and in the spirit of feminism, it is a reminder of the haunting thought containing all the things the women in my family had to deal with. In a small, rural, patriarchal country, where your personhood and worth as a woman was defined by your devotion to your family, your husband in particular, and the state. A devotion that does not stop at the acts, but at a complete wiring of your being. Where a woman, not just a good woman, but a woman period, has to internalize the need to be constantly bent over backwards, physically and metaphorically, for everyone but herself. The women who toiled and screamed and wore their hair down to their backs and did not even have a name to pass down to the women that came after them, a family tree full of the names of whatever men they were paradoxically told they need to depend on. The single women in a world of men who did the work for two people to make up for their lover’s absence and still could never be anything more than a woman.

I wonder, if like the protagonist of the song, there is a world in which they got to escape this fate. I wonder if the world we live in is that world - a world of small victories in which your daughter has it better than you. One where I get to go out and experience the world in a way that is a bit closer to my devotion to living a life that feels meaningful to me than one where I carry the lives of others on my back. One where my womanhood and my personhood are one, undefined, beautiful and absurdist aspect of my existence. 

P.S. Paris Paloma released LABOUR (THE CACOPHONY) which has fan voices on it and it’s a cool project you should check out

A.E. , she/her :)

S.L.U.T BY BEA MILLER (2018)

I decided to talk about this Bea Miller song not only because I like it, but also because I think its message is important and powerful. Like many people, I had been thrown off by the title when it was released a few years ago—it's quite misleading. In reality, this song talks about the importance of self-love and not letting others influence how we view ourselves. By calling it "S.L.U.T.," Bea is reclaiming the insulting connotation behind the word "slut." In fact, she's giving it a completely different meaning: Sweet Little Unforgettable Thing. She once said, "What makes a sweet little unforgettable thing is just someone who is themselves and embraces it. I want to take back the word 'slut.' If someone’s going to call me a slut I’d be like, "Whatever. Thanks. Fine. I don’t care. That just means that I’m doing something that’s memorable.”   In other words, when Bea wrote this song, she wanted to turn a negative concept into a ray of positivity and empowerment. Of course, I know that it's hard to love yourself sometimes, as we all have bad days; however, this song encourages us to embrace the days where we feel good and confident by living to the fullest. Society often makes us feel like we need to look a very specific way or fit a strict mold if we don't want to be judged by others. Bea agrees with this as she talked about criticism that she herself received.   “If you’re more focused on bringing other people down, then you’re probably bringing yourself down, too. You're literally existing to make other people feel like shit, which is going to make you feel like shit. But if you exist to make yourself feel good, then you’re going to help other people feel good."   This is one more reason why we should keep promoting acceptance and love all around, not only as women—because women are unfortunately more prone to judgment and comparison—but also as individuals in general, no matter our differences. Bea calls for the same course of action by singing:   "We gotta learn to stick together, Love your color, gender or whatever, 'Cause your happiness don't need a censor, Just mind your own and we'll keep owning it."   Every time I listen to "S.L.U.T.," I feel a bit more confident and happier, no matter what I went through that day. It makes me want to dance, smile and, most of all, focus on myself and what makes me feel good. It’s a feeling that I hope to share with you by making you discover this song! ‘’If everyone prioritized their own confidence, then the world would be a better place.’’






Ariane T.H 
she/her

GREEDY BY TATE MCRAE (2023)

This Canadian phenomenon has been taking over Tik Tok and your local radio stations for the past year. At only twenty years-old she has nominations to the Billboard Music Awards, an MTV VMA, a People’s Choice Award and a Juno. In two years, she went from being a regular girl from Calgary to headlining at the NHL All Star Game. Like, can you believe this girl?? For me, Tate is the DEFINITION of girl power. She may be criticized for being too “pop” or too “mainstream ». So what??? No one can deny that her tunes are insanely catchy and well-written. For instance, give the next song Greedy a listen The line that represents the whole song : « Can't you tell that I want you? I say, yeah, I would want myself ». Short but very sweet, this song is all about Tate’s growth towards self-love, development and acceptance for who she is. It’s about loving yourself and displaying your confidence. The song never fails to give me a boost in energy. To all the female readers reading this article, dwelling in self-pity will never get you anywhere in life. Although life may suck most times or be difficult, particularly for us (#fuckthepatriarchy), you need to get up, know your worth and your strength and keep going. Just know that no one can take you down, no one can dictate your life, no one can write your destiny. You write it yourself. Hope this hard pop hit gives YOU the boost of energy you need to face the world.

Serina, she/her 

FIGHT SONG BY RACHEL PLATTEN (2014)

I remember, years ago, going to an amazing Pentatonix show in Montreal. Although shows I’ve been to before only had one opening act, this one had two. The first one was a group of women who were excellent. Sadly, time has erased their names from my memory though not the enjoyment I felt at seeing them. The second artist though, I still remember. It was Rachel Platten. I remember her because she talked about her life and because I sang her song “Fight Song” alongside her and cried while doing it.

“Fight Song” is a song that can so easily touch women who are going or have gone through difficult times or have felt completely powerless. It’s easy sometimes, isn’t? To feel like our voice isn’t heard. We go to our doctor, and we talk about our migraines, and they tell us to drink water and take Tylenols even though acetaminophens can do nothing against genuine migraines. Or they prescribe us triptan meds and let us take 12 pills per month despite any neurologist being able to tell you that is extremely bad for your long-term health. I say that because I legitimately know women it has happened to. 

Her song also tells us that we shouldn’t keep everything inside though, which is a message that I think many women should hear. We often talk about the stereotype of the “strong man” and how men don’t talk about what is wrong with them because of it. I think that is still sadly true in some and perhaps too many cases. However, I think people forget that it can also be true of women.  Because women are mothers, you see. And the mom cannot be unwell. The mom cannot be falling apart at the seams. She must be strong for the kids. It’s not so much that the dad would be unable to take on the duties of the woman. Many men could and would compensate if their wives were not doing well; it’s that the women feel like they can’t allow themselves to be anything but perfect. Women feel like they have to be good at their jobs as well as good at home. Why does a woman who can’t cook feel like a failure? And sure, women will talk to their friends…but will they really when it’s serious?

“Losing friends and I'm chasing sleep. Everybody's worried 'bout me” When I hear those lyrics, it doesn’t make me think the person talking has confided in those who are worried. It actually could be one of the reason the singer is losing friends. People can tell you’re hiding something, and they usually don’t enjoy the lies that come with it. From personal experience, I know that when you are at your lowest, you tend to hide how low you are, like it is a shame you must bear alone. 

But Rachel’s song is full of hope because the woman who sings it does not stay in her slump. She finds her inner strength, which every woman shares with the singer, and rises above it. She decides to voice her problems, to take back her life and to do what every woman needs to do: BELIEVE IN HERSELF. Despite whatever the world tells you, always BELIEVE IN YOURSELF. 

Mel, she/her  

HOT BY ZEINA (2024)

Sexuality and feminism are deeply intertwined, women have always been told that being sexual is a bad thing, something that needs to be hidden or only talked about in an intimate setting. Women have always been asked to act like pure and innocent beings when they have their desires to fulfill. Both subjects revolve around the equality of genders, power, freedom, and social contexts. “You keep takin' me higher, fulfill my desire, the temperature fire and it's hot, hot, hot, hot. You keep takin' me higher, fulfill my desire, you turn on the pressure and I can't breathe.” Zeina’s song “Hot” is a liberating record about sex, and wanting to feel desired and loved in any way possible. It’s so refreshing to be able to listen to women sing about a subject that we all think about and experience! The upbeat tempo also creates environments where women can feel empowered, and free to dance and express how they feel through the movement of their body. Releasing songs about women's sexuality helps create more open and honest conversations without feeling like it’s a touchy subject. Creating such songs also helps break the stigma around women being sexual beings, it’s all about taking our power back!

Alexandrine, she/her

RACIST, SEXIST, BOY BY THE LINDA LINDAS (2021)

"They're just kids, little boys. Let them be kids. They'll learn with time." But that's the problem: inaction from adults leads children to believe that their words hold no power. Mila, a drummer and the youngest member of this awesome punk band, explained what this track is all about before performing it at a library, "A little while before we went into lockdown, a boy in my class came up to me and said that his dad told him to stay away from Chinese people. After I told him I was Chinese, he backed away from me. Eloise and I wrote this song based on that experience." In my opinion, The Linda Lindas have shared an extremely important and often overlooked message, that is, don't wait too long to teach children how to treat other people with respect regardless of their gender or ethnicity. I believe the sole existence of this song is a reminder that girls, despite how young or old they may be, should be encouraged to use their voice whenever they're victims or witnesses of any form of discrimination. I bet that boy (or his father) didn't expect to have a song written about their disrespectful behaviour. Even to this day, we still teach women to remain calm, polite, and silent; The Linda Lindas did the complete opposite by sharing this song with the world.

  

"You close your mind to things you don't like. You turn away from what you don't wanna see."

Owner of this blog, (if you know, you know), 

HIT LIKE A GIRL BY MEET ME AT THE ALTAR (2021)

Have you ever been told that you hit or throw "like a girl" as a way to insult your performance during a sport? Have you been looking for an all-girl pop-punk band? If you've answered yes to one or both of these questions, then this song might be a great match for you!

Let me start off by saying that "Hit Like A Girl" is one of my favourite feminist songs, and I have no doubt that you'll soon feel the same way. With head-banging guitar riffs and badass affirmations that will make you want to throw your fist in the air, this is an amazing—and sorely underrated—empowerment anthem. It's not just about the lyrics; the high energy and positivity of the music truly lift my spirits and motivate me to get up and do whatever it is that I want to do, leaving doubt and insecurities in the trash bin (where they should stay).

Moreover, when Meet Me @ The Altar says, "You got it, girl / This is your world / I'll be right there supporting", I'm ready to go out into the patriarchal world and put on my game face. It also reminds me of the "girl's girl" movement on social media in which many women are speaking up about wanting to support and uplift other women, rather than tearing each other down. Isn't this also the main message of "Mean Girls" (2004)? At the end of the day, we need to be there for one another, or else we are only allowing men to keep disrespecting us. As a wise band once shouted, "Don't stand for disrespect / We all deserve the best." Wink wink, nudge nudge. But seriously, stand up for yourself, girl! 

So next time someone tries belittling you by saying that you hit like a girl, respond with, "Thank you." 

Cinth, she/her  

JADED BY GLIMMERS (2023)

There is no denying how great of an impact Paramore had on the pop-punk scene in the mid to late 00s and young women being inspired by Hayley to create music. However, it only goes that far as every female-fronted and non-male artist are each truly unique and sadly get called a Paramore clone far too often. Artists will get comments like "You sound like Hayley or Paramore" and while it seems like a compliment to be compared to a band we love, it has come across more and more back-handed and misogynistic in recent years. Back in 2022, glimmers got a negative comment saying "Dollar store Paramore" on a TikTok video. I don't know how long it was when vocalist Maggie Schneider decided to write this song but I do wonder if this comment helped inspire Jaded. Fast forward to last October as the band released the song. Maggie is an incredible songwriter and vocalist and Jaded is perfect for an article like this. In the chorus she belts "I just wanna scream at the top of my lungs, stop comparing me to the woman we love", speaking out against misogyny and standing up for other artists who also experience this. Shortly after the song's release, Jenna McDougall of Tonight Alive and her new solo project Hevenshe praised the song and glimmers also released an acoustic version of the song with Tay Jardine of We Are The In Crowd and SAINTE on vocals. Both Jenna and Tay have been in Maggie's shoes as both were blindly compared to the band and woman we love but have proven haters wrong. This behavior has to stop. Instead of attacking a band for sounding like someone else, we should be thankful that we have more music and more female and non-male artists. And I'm sure Hayley will agree as your savior does not look a thing like her (listen to Idle Worship from Paramore's 2017 album After Laughter).

Miracle, she/her

WILLOW BY RENEÉ RAPP (2023)

To me, Reneé Rapp in her song “Willow” beautifully expresses the depth and complexity of growing up as a human being while having the pressure to be a woman in this society. 

As a kid, there’s a big pressure on our shoulders while we don't even fully understand what our place in the world is or will be. To me, “Don't have to use your own tears, just to grow your own roots” implies that sometimes as you grow older you have to start over to find yourself and understand what you’ve been through, such as traumas, how you were treated in some friendships, what is perfect and imperfect means to you and develop even more empathy towards everyone. 

To help everyone we need people that support us and make us feel seen and understood. To become a better society we need to learn more about each individual and how we can help every generation to clear their minds from how a human should behave and even look. It can also help younger generations to understand themselves and help them feel more confident in who they are and want to be. It is so important to uplift everyone and speak up if you feel like something is wrong!

Alexandrine, she/her

SILENCE IS THE GIFT BY WAR ON WOMEN (2018)

I interpret the message of this explosive track by War on Women to be about how many women feel when thinking about sharing their experience with any kind of assault. Oftentimes, survivors of assault have the desire to speak up; however, that desire is accompanied by many crippling fears. "What if people don't believe me?" "What if they think I have ulterior motives?" Will they disregard my testimony because the assault took place more than 10 years ago?" "Will some of my loved ones turn their backs on me after I finally share my story?" Many survivors don't choose to stay quiet—they feel like staying quiet is their only choice. This song is a reminder of how brave survivors have to be to tell the world (or even a single person!) what they went through.

"I never wanted to be, never thought I could be, I'll never never be a quiet woman."

Owner of this blog (if you know, you know), she/her 

NIGHTMARE BY SHALLOW POOLS (2023)

When it comes to touring, I think we can all agree that women still sadly have it tougher than men. From getting heckled to getting drunkenly hit on at the merch table, this behavior shouldn't come with the job as a musician. And this even extends to concert goers who paid to see their favourite band and not experience shitty behavior from men like getting hit on or touched inappropriately. On shallow pools' fantastic 2023 debut album I Think About It All The Time, they write about these experiences on the appropriately titled fourth single Nightmare. The song opens with vocalist Glynnis Brennan singing "Heard the words right from your mouth, I'm the one you dream about, Doesn’t matter what I wear, There’s a fire in your stare, This is going nowhere, You should take a step back" as she calls out men acting inappropriate at the crowd. Her and the rest of the band channel these nightmare scenarios we experience to empower listeners with hopes that one day, shows will be safer and the scene in general will be safer. In the meantime, we will not take this bad behavior in venues anymore.

Miracle, she/her 

WILD HEART BY TOWA BIRD (2023) 

Whether it is a friendship or a romantic relationship it’s always an amazing feeling when you can be yourself at 100%, and feel seen and listened to! Towa Bird was able to capture this feeling in her song called “Wild Heart”. 

Their song includes the lyrics “I can't believe that you could tame my wild, wild heart” and “I love you 'til the death, you're a bullet in my chest”. 

Between feeling like you need to be a certain person and act a certain way and realizing that someone can love you just the way you are, there’s work that needs to be done by each individual in this society.  

The song also does a great job illustrating the navigation between a young woman unsure of who she is, questioning who could appreciate her, who could make her feel loved, then finally finding someone that makes you feel so seen that exploring every side of your person becomes so easy. In a world where so many people undervalue authenticity because they feel the social pressure to fit in a mold and are scared of being different, I think this song is so important as it explores the idea of the joy felt when the other person embraces our entirety and uniqueness. 

Alexandrine, she/her 

Whether you are a woman, a man, a transwoman, a transman, or a non-binary friend, thank you for taking the time to read our article. Feminism is about including everyone, every human being has a seat at the table. Some people want to do better, and understand more; they need a little help. We, feminists, do not hate men, we hate the way some of them treat us. I hope the songs featured in this article made you discover new music while making you reflect on the harsh realities women face every day. Those tracks hold meaning to us and so many other women. I hope those songs can also mean something to you now. Thank you to everybody involved in this powerful project. 

Your favourite blogger, music lover, and feminist forever

Ariane