Ever since women earned the right to vote, significant steps have been taken by the females of America. Now women are CEOs, entrepreneurs, authors, scientists, engineers, mathematicians, and much more. Society could not operate successfully with women, and many female artists over the years have praised the influences of women through their music.

Here are the current top ten girl power songs:

10. “Two Black Cadillacs” by Carrie Underwood:

The lyrics of this song are intense and the message is quite morbid. Essentially a man dies at the hands of his wife and his lover. When the two realized that they had both been cheated on, they conspired to murder the man. This song shows that women do not need men to be truly happy in life.

9. “Somebody’s Hero” by Jamie O’Neal:

“Somebody’s Hero” praises mothers, the women everybody owes something to. In the song, a mother is raising her baby girl. As the lyrics progress, the daughter grows up and moves out. At the end of the song, the roles have now switched, with the daughter taking care of the mother.

At the roots of this song is a message that can get lost in today’s society: one doesn’t need to cure diseases or have millions of dollars to be a hero to another. Actions are what make people true heroes.

8. “Gunpowder and Lead” by Miranda Lambert:

If one really listens to the lyrics, they address a significant issue in the world today: domestic violence. Too often are there news stories about a man getting arrested for physically harming his wife or girlfriend. But in Lambert’s story, the roles are going to be reversed.

The character in the song has had enough of her husband’s beatings, so when he is on his way home after getting out of prison, she is ready. The character is not going to be a “ragdoll” for her husband anymore, and instead is going to stand up before he has a chance to knock her down.

7. “Road Less Traveled” by Lauren Alaina:

This song holds a very powerful message, one not broadcasted on the cover of beauty magazines: you are enough, and don’t change your image because the world says otherwise. Just because one path has been paved by so many people doesn’t mean it is wrong to forge a new one.

6. “Just a Girl” by No Doubt:

The lyrics of this song make fun of female stereotypes, some of which still plague society today.
The lines, “Oh, I’m just a girl, all pretty and petite, so don’t let me have any rights” is saying that yes women aren’t as physically strong as men, but masculinity shouldn’t determine social status.

5. “Redesigning Women” by the Highway Women:

The song is an old country tune with many folk notes present in the music. Again the song focuses on praising mothers, the undervalued women in the world.

They sing, “Rosie the Riveter with renovations”, meaning that the fight for gender equality is not over, and as society progresses the ways we have to find new ways to combat the discrimination. When I think of Rosie the Riveter I am met with an image of that iconic poster reading “We Can Do It”, a statement that has kept women going for generations.

4. “Scars to Your Beautiful” by Alessia Cara:

The song shows that scars-physical or metaphorical-do not define your beauty. The measure of how “pretty” one is goes far deeper than the surface, and the world should stop evaluating girls based solely on their looks. These imperfections don’t make people less valuable, they make them who they are.

3. “Lady Like” by Ingrid Andress:

Why are women defined by how “ladylike” they are? In the past, being ladylike has meant biting your tongue, only talking about light and respectful topics, and overall just being as silent as possible. But progress is not made when people don’t have the freedom to express themselves and their opinions, even the ones that diverge from the standard path.

2. “Million to One” by Camila Cabello:

This song was the show stopping piece in the new Cinderella movie now streaming on Prime Video. Essentially the message is that even if your goals seem completely unattainable, even if the chances of you succeeding are a million to one, you are going to be the exception.

In the movie that Cabello stars in, she plays the common role of Cinderella. But when the prince declares his love and asks her to marry him, she chooses her career over a man. Eventually Cinderella finds the best of both worlds, but she wasn’t prepared to give up her dreams to do what everybody expects.

1. “Homecoming Queen” by Kelsea Ballerini:

The song is simply about perfection. The world expects the homecoming and prom queens of the world continuously but up a ladylike front, but this standard is ripping girls apart.

Any insecurity that the girls who are supposed to be perfect have is illuminated in front of everybody at the first slip-up. This pressure should not be put upon any girl, and they should instead be praised for their individuality.