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Doja Cat - Ain't Shit (Official Live Performance) | Vevo

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Megan Thee Stallion - Her [Official Video]

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Dua Lipa - Don't Start Now (Official Music Video)

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Lizzo - About Damn Time [Official Video]

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Songs that Invoke Self Confidence and Independence Written For and By Women

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Songs that Invoke Self Confidence and Independence Written For and By Women

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Feminism is an incredibly important movement ongoing in our society today. With gaps between men’s and women’s pay and gender stereotypes, women have had to fight against a world designed for and by men. Much progress has been made, women are breaking into occupations dominated by men, gender norms are being challenged, and more women are becoming leading figures in their professions, all of which are incredibly inspiring to other female identifying people.

One of the most inspirational women in my life has been my mother. Having immigrated from Mexico by herself at a young age, she has been my definition of self confidence, independence, and resilience. She raised my little brother and I as a single mother, since my father did not live with us because of work. Without his help, however, she managed to teach the both of us how to be independent and confident in ourselves. Every time I play a song sung by one of my favorite female artists, I get nostalgic encouragement from my mother during times of stress. Though this is true, I wanted to focus on the messages and lessons that are embedded into these songs targeted towards female identifying listeners, who might need encouragement during low periods of their lives. These five songs are all written and sung by female artists–the majority of them being Black artists–who approach sharing the message of self confidence and independence using different music styles such as R&B, rap, disco, and pop.

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Inspired by 90's R&B, Doja Cat raps about her past relationships with immature men and argues why being in a relationship is not always great.

N*****s ain't shit, come up in your crib

All up in your fridge, can’t pay rent

Here in this lyric, Doja gives a reason as to why her listeners don’t need a man. She explains that they only take up space and consume food from the fridge she worked hard to keep stocked up. Doja warns her listeners to be aware of harmful relationships with men (or significant others). Although being in a relationship is widely glamourized, many possibilities such as manipulation, leeching, and entitlement can come with taking on such a connection. Through this, Doja invokes a sense of independence towards her listeners and tries to imply to them to find satisfaction in themselves, rather than extending that necessity onto someone who can’t fulfill them. She then goes on to sing,

10 page text, shoulda wrote a book, coulda made a bag

But he broke

Not only does Doja argue that toxic significant others take up space, she also argues that they can’t make anything of themselves. Considering from the context of the lyric, it can be assumed that the text Doja mentions most likely consists of excuses, accusations, and lies to help protect the man and divert any blame from himself. So, instead of putting energy into self-improvement or employment, the man spends time trying to come up with excuses and gaslights Doja into submission, which are not qualities of a healthy relationship. This is just another example Doja uses to argue that significant others aren’t always the right choice. Ultimately, by arguing that significant others just take up space and don’t always make something out of themselves, Doja advances the theme of independence.

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Having graduated college in 2021 and being a groundbreaking female artist, Megan Thee Stallion raps about being able to ignore hateful comments and continue to keep doing what she loves best.

I don’t care if these bitches don’t like me

Cause, like, I’m pretty as fuck

Just the other day, I heard a ho say

Matter of fact, what could a ho say?

In these lyrics, Megan Thee Stallion starts with brushing off hate, stopping herself from even recalling what someone commented about her. “I don’t care if these bitches don’t like me cause, like, I’m pretty as fuck”, “Just the other day, I heard a ho say, matter of fact, what could a ho say”; the mentality of self confidence that Megan promotes in this song, and is the theme for many of her songs. In most of her music, she recognizes her own self worth as a person, friend, and artist, which is how she is able to brush off remarks made by jealous people around her. Because of these intro lyrics, listeners are able to foster their own sense of self-confidence, and be able to be resilient towards negative comments and haters. These lyrics are also interesting because of Megan's reference to other women as "ho". How can Megan call herself a feminist trailblazer in rap when she refers to other women as hoes? Later in the song, she specifies that these women act against her, rather than supporting her as a successful woman. This is because myogenic and hurtful comments don't always come from men, they also come from jealous and hateful women.

Cause the hate campaign ain’t workin at all

I aint Jack or Jill, bitch, I aint gon fall

Megan continues with “Cause the hate campaingn ain't working at all, I ain't Jack or Jill, bitch, I ain't gon' fall”. Because of how confident Megan is in herself, she is able to overlook and ignore any nasty comments she might face about her. Many women, and people in general, struggle with being the center of hurtful words, but Megan sets an example for her listeners and saying that they will not bring her down in anyway.

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Dua's most recent album, Future Nostalgia, touched on many aspects of female empowerment. Through Don't Start Now, Dua tells the story of a break up, and discusses her ability to bounce back from the event.

Did a full one-eight, crazy

Thinking bout the way I was

Did the heartbreak change me, maybe

But look at where I ended up

I’m all good already

So moved on, its scary

I’m not where you left me at all

Using phrases such as “did a full one-eighty”, “I’m all good already” and “so moved on, it's scary”, she describes her resilience and how effectively she’s been able to overcome and heal from the break up. Many people suffer from being unable to recover from a past relationship and tend to waste time pondering over the connection they don’t have anymore. However, similarly to Lizzo’s message, Dua prides over the fact that she was able to grow out of that state and become a stronger, more resilient, and independent person altogether, singing “I’m not where you left me at all”. Coming from a woman’s perspective, Dua message can motivate other women to quit sulking in their past relationships, and look towards their future and ambitions. Dua continues to sing:

If you don’t wanna see me dancing with somebody

If you wanna believe that anything could stop me

Don’t show up, don’t come out

Don’t start caring about me now

This is one of the most exemplary examples of her lyrics promoting independence. Challenging her former lover, Dua says that the only way they could not see her success and recovery is by complete ignorance. For them, this would be extremely difficult since Dua is an extremely popular singer, with her music played in stores, discos, and eateries. By singing this, Dua implies that self improvement and confidence is the key to being able to overcome challenges and becoming successful. In addition to catch lyrics, Dua decides to back her voice with a disco feel. For many people, dance is medicine. So Dua gave her listeners something to dance to when they get hurt by someone. This gives them a chance to cope in a healthy way, rather than doing something that could damage them even more.

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Coming out the pandemic, Lizzo's mission was to inspire self love, care, and confidence. In her About Damn Time, Lizzo sings and touches on the outcomes of overcoming challenges through her life.

Oh I’ve been so down and under pressure

I’m way too fine to be this stressed yeah

Oh I’m not the girl I was or used to be

Bitch I might be better

In this pre chorus, Lizzo states that she has not been feeling good and has been put under tremendous personal or external pressure. These pressures can range from people’s negative comments, self doubt, and insecurities–and they are all struggles that many other people deal with in their daily lives. However, she recognizes that she is more powerful and valuable than what other people might think or label her as. Additionally, Lizzo mentions that she is not the same person after experiencing the negativity she’s faced, implying that she has grown out of her vulnerability to being affected by them again. This could be because she had gained more confidence in herself, which allowed her to dismiss comments about her easier, and had become more independent. In the music video, Lizzo showcased this development with a scene of her frantically leaving a support group meeting after being asked to go first in an activity. After pumping herself up with the song's lyrics, she ends the video by returning to the group, ready to participate without doubts. Later on in the song, Lizzo says:

Turn up the music, let’s celebrate

I got a feelin’ I’m gon’ be okay

Here, Lizzo celebrates the fact that she was able to overcome her troubles and celebrates the fact that she was able to learn and grow from her problems, rather than succumbing to their pressures. This is an extremely important lyric because it calls on the listener to celebrate each victory, no matter how big or small, and the lessons they learned from it. Incorporating this lyric also encourages female empowerment, as Lizzo makes herself an example of a woman being able to overcome insecurities and pressure in a world that is predominantly designed for and by men.

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Released in the 70's, Gloria Gaynor's I Will Survive has set the precedent for female empowerment with a disco style. This timeless classic has not only resonated with female listeners, but has also inspired resilience for many other marginalized communities.

At first I was afraid, I was petrified

Kept thinking I could never live without you by my side
But then i spent so many nights thinking how you did me wrong

And I grew strong

And I learned how to get along

Here, Gloria explains that the break up she went through hurt her so much that she didn’t know what to do. However, after some time and self reflection, she realized her own potential and grew stronger from the hurt. This verse nurtures the idea that unpleasant events should be used as lessons, rather than defeat. Gloria repeats this idea with different wording later on in the song. Through these lyrics, she displays her newly founded sense of independence from her ex, saying that she doesn’t need him to be able to exist in the world. This not only invokes a sense of independence and growth, but it also inspires listeners to move on from harmful relationships.

Go on now go

Walk out the door
Just turn around now cause you're not welcome anymore

Weren’t you the one who tried to hurt me with goodbye?

As the song continues, Gloria disowns her ex lover, saying that he is no longer welcome in her space and that he needs to leave her alone. This is just another example of how she uses her independence to move away from pondering over this past relationship.

I will survive

Oh, as long as I know how to love I know I’ll stay alive

I’ve got all my life to live

I’ve got all my love to give

And I’ll survive

I will survive, hey, hey

Gloria then continues to show off her confidence and independence by saying she will survive for as long as she’s able to love. The love she talks about is not one exclusive to romantic relationships, but can also come from platonic relationships, such as relationships with friends and family. She knows that even in times that she might feel lonely, she’ll be able to rely on the support system provided by the people she loves the most. Because of the overall message of regarding independence resilience, and female empowerment, this song has been resonant with the LGBTQ+ movement since the 90's amid the AIDS crisis. Unfortunately, there are many places and families who don’t accept the LGTBQ+ community and express dislike towards them. However, they do not always need to fear, as they know they will always have people who are willing to accept them for who they are.