Wanna know who's badass? Women.
Know what's equally badass? Girl-power anthems. And no, we're not talking about cheesy power ballads a la Christina Aguilera or Mariah Carey. We mean the songs that encourage women to feel proud of their badassery, while embracing what it is to be a chick. Songs that are unabashedly pro-woman and celebrate everything from roaring to being a rebel, and everything in between.
The thing is, women kick ass, and sometimes it's important to remember that little fact. Luckily, these ten songs will help you do so. After all, who runs the world? You know the answer.
10. "Video," India.Arie Back in 2001, this songbird proclaimed that she's all about doing whatever it is her little heart fancies, whether that is not combing her hair to (perhaps) shaving her legs. But whatever it is she decides to do -- or not do -- it ain't no thing, because she's freakin' flawless.
It's pretty great to see how she owns every bit of being a free-willed chick, and while the singer eschews the average video-girl stereotype, India still proves to be completely and utterly mesmerizing.
9. "No Scrubs," TLC This TLC jam was the bane of quite a few dudes' existences in the '90s, and rightfully so. It called out some of the more ridiculous behaviors of the male sex -- not showin' your shorty love or sitting on your broke ass, for example -- while declaring that as women, they would not be taking that scrub behavior anymore. "No Scrubs" pretty much took over the entire female population, becoming the second-biggest Hot 100 hit of 1999 as it had women shutting down broke busters everywhere.
8. "Run the World (Girls)," Beyonce Who runs the world? Girls! Sure, there are all sorts of arguments as to why Beyonce is not a feminist, despite her claims to the contrary, as well as a number of other criticisms about this song. But to be honest, we frankly do not give a damn.
This song is Beyonce at her best, proclaiming that girls run the world. We like to see it as a fancy middle finger to the patriarchal society -- a middle finger we can dance to, mind you -- and without it, our girl-power list would be a much sadder place.
7. "You Oughta Know," Alanis Morrisette Alanis Morrisette's 1995 hit "You Oughta Know" was blunt, riddled with angst, and downright badass. Initially, it was a bit odd to think that this super-pissed anthem was written about Dave Coulier, the comedian dude from Full House, but that quickly became a non-issue thanks to all the theater-themed badassery. Morrisette inadvertently helped raise a whole new group of angst-embracing women.
6. "Don't Come Home a-Drinkin'," Loretta Lynn Way back in '67, country musician Loretta Lynn was telling dudes how it is (and isn't). She had no problem at all shuttin' down her lover's drunken antics with just a few well-chosen words.
5. "What's Love Got to Do With It," Tina Turner Tina Turner's 1984 hit "What's Love Got to Do With It" may have been written by a couple of dudes, for a dude -- writers Terry Britten and Graham Lyle first offered it up to British pop singer Cliff Richard to record -- but she turned into an unmistakable girl anthem nonetheless. In the song, Turner is eschewing love, because fuck it -- and the heartbroken, haunting way in which she does it has resonated with women for decades.
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