MARISSA BURR
Opinion Editor
Trigger warning: Mentions of sexual harassment, sexual assault and self-harm
Lately, I’ve been hearing people discuss the Bechdel Test for movies.
Essentially, the test examines films to see if two female characters a) appear, b) talk to each other, and c) do so about something other than a man.
Spoiler: recent movies such as “Oppenheimer” and “The Super Mario Bros” do not pass.
It seems as though there’s a similar standard in music that female artists don’t create songs about anything other than men.
Yes, there are a large number of songs about breakups, relationships and parental struggles, but those come from both men and women. They’re experiences a lot of people go through, so they’re going to be popular inspirations. But, to shut the bigots up, here is a list of songs by mainstream female artists that weren’t written about men or for men — no dads or no dudes allowed.
“Run the World (Girls)” by Beyoncé
I would be remiss if I didn’t start this female-centric playlist with the queen that inspired its title.
This is known as one of the ultimate girl-power anthems of the early 2000s, and to this day, you can play this at any party and I guarantee half the room knows every word.
Beyoncé wrote this for that purpose, and all hail the queen.
“Confident” by Demi Lovato
This song was my alarm for at least a year and a half in high school, and that timeline lined up perfectly with a low point in my self-esteem.
I needed to start my mornings with Lovato’s song or else I wouldn’t have had the energy to face the horrors of the world.
The chorus says, “What’s wrong with being confident” to purposely call out the misogynists out there who arrogantly believe that self-assured women are somehow in the wrong. In reality, it’s just their insecurities shining through.
Lovato created this banger for every woman to scream at the top of their lungs in the club, or even just behind the walls of their bedroom.
Doesn’t matter where, confidence looks beautiful in any light.
“Applause” by Lady Gaga
Before it was playing to announce Taylor Swift’s arrival on stage, this song had me dancing around my room so much I’d get dizzy — the Kidz Bop version, of course, since I was still a preteen in a religious household at that point.
Lady Gaga created this bop to depict the public view of celebrities, and how they always wanted attention.
She was calling out the fact that her fans were the demanding ones, living for her every move, not the other way around.
“All American Bitch” by Olivia Rodrigo
The opening track of her latest album “Guts” relays the struggles that come with being a woman.
Her verses are the “acceptable” ways of a woman, but as she enters the chorus she tears through the bonds and lets loose with all the screams and frustrations that women are forced to hold in.
The switch back and forth between the sounds shows the constant need to “fix yourself” for men.
“Everybody’s Fool” by Evanescence
Yes, I was that angsty tween listening to Evanescence and relating to the lyrics way more than I probably should have.
But that’s okay because my dad introduced me to them and listening to their music helped me feel closer to him — after all, he’s the one who taught me that the car was the best place to jam out to rock.
This song in particular was on repeat on my stereo.
Preteen Marissa struggled with the ideas brought up in this song about how people were often insincere and two-faced.
The fact that the antagonist mentioned in the song was also a woman was so real to me since that’s who my biggest bullies were.
Listening to it now, I know that I never really grasped how powerful that idea was that people could seem one way to everyone else but then turn around and be so different to me.
As a woman, I need that validation that we’re not all singing “Kumbaya” and braiding each other’s hair, and that’s okay.
Not all girls have to get along.
“Sit Still, Look Pretty” by Daya
Switching gears slightly, because not every anthem has to have a rock band behind it.
With a steady dance beat for the base, Daya wrote a song about feminism and becoming something more than what men expected women to be.
Relating these ideas to medieval times, she sings “This queen doesn’t need a king,” to tie in the chorus.
No longer will women accept the role of smiling and holding their tongues on a throne. If they’re in power, they’re going to act like it.
“22 (Taylor’s Version)” by Taylor Swift
Yeah, we all knew a Taylor Swift song was coming. Her music is so diverse that she fits on every playlist I can think of.
In fact, the morons that say she only writes break-up songs were the reason I wanted to make a playlist like this in the first place.
Swift wrote this song for her friends about just going out and having fun.
Because it’s okay to do that. Not everything has to be about a guy or a relationship or hardships.
We owe it to ourselves to enjoy what little time we have on this planet.
“Wings” by Little Mix
If I was screaming Evanescence on Monday, odds are Tuesdays brought this Little Mix song during my middle school years.
Its purpose is exactly what they say: don’t let anybody put you down or keep you up at night.
We’re all born with wings that are meant to take us so far above the hatred. When these women belt “They’re just like water off my wings” after the bridge, my whole body gets chills. A
dd this song to every workout, girl power, feminist, party, etc. playlist.