A big topic recently has been women empowerment in music and media. A few names are always mentioned: Lady Gaga, Lizzo, Ariana Grande, Miley Cyrus…but I feel like there are more underground or indie artists that need to be included as well. Florence + The Machine, Lana Del Rey, and MARINA (formerly Marina and the Diamonds) are a few that I especially enjoy; though theyâre still pretty big names, I feel like no one is talking about them. Especially MARINA. I discovered her in high school; I loved her unique, peppy style and incredible voice that can cover so many octaves! Once I was hooked by the music, I started to pay attention to the lyrics, and they are not only inspiring to woman, but just people. MARINA gets that life is complicated and weâre all just doing the best we can; she hits on real life issues, and they come out in her songs.
- Hard work can get you what you want
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In âAre You Satisfied,â MARINA first of all asks if weâre okay with an average life, but she also encourages us that if we work diligently, we can accomplish our goals. She tells us that we are the only ones responsible for making something of ourselves, and the pace we make it happen is up to us. If weâre not willing to put the work in, thatâs fine, but weâll have to be okay with not living out the best we can be.
- Live authentically, donât become a machine
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âOh No!â has to be one of my favorite songs from MARINA. The repeated point is that she knows exactly what she wants and who she wants to be. But more than just that, she is cognizant of the other factors that get in the way from her being âexactly who she wants to be.â She is aware that media/television, material possession, and her own self-fulfilled prophecy have a tendency to get in the way and challenge the way we not only view the world around us, but ourselves as well.Â
- Vulnerability doesnât make us weak
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In âPower and Control,â MARINA recognizes we all kind of suck at love, and it can warped into some strange power struggle between men and women (sidebar: love should never be a power trip). But at the end of day, we can be pretty vulnerable, and that is NOT weakness. Especially when dealing with fragile things such as human emotions.Â
- Women need to decide for themselvesÂ
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âSex Yeahâ is ICONIC. MARINA spells out how the oversexualization of girls causes them to act out and question how they âshould be.â Historically, different sources (some good, some bad) tell girls how they need to act. With this in mind, they need to really consider who they are meant to be according to themselves. Essentially, she says that women need to fight for what they believe, not what society tells them they need to be.Â
- Youth isnât always pretty
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MARINA recognizes the issue of wanting to feel pretty and validated but not always having things go as planned in âTeen Idle.â Sometimes, the desire to be pretty can lead to some damaging and very ugly effects such as narcissism, eating disorders and depression. We all like to pretend we have it together, but no one really does. (And thatâs okay! Always remember to reach out to someone if youâre struggling.)
- Be your own boss
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âHypocratesâ talks about how MARINAâs significant other is telling her what she should be doing while he does the opposite thing. There is an apparent double standard and MARINA is over it. She says how her boyfriend only wants to own her, and thatâs the kind of love he gives her. She is smart enough to know a âloveâ based on ownership is not love at all, and women need to be wary of people/relationships like this.Â
- Donât be afraid!
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In âFear and Loathing,â MARINA talks about how she is concerned about the way people view her or think of her, and sheâs tired of living that way. She wants to live her own life and not live in fear of being judged by everyone.Â
- A healthy relationship is about support
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I love âSuperstarâ because though itâs about her relationship, MARINA says how she and her significant other have worked so hard and come so far to be together. They support each other when theyâre weak and help each other out. Fun reminder: to be an empowered woman doesnât mean you canât have a man. A man can be one of the people in your group who empowers you, and that is good! Feminism is for everyone, and isnât a vow to single life. The most important thing is having a partner who supports and empowers you, which MARINA happily has.
- Sometimes you canât fix it allÂ
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In âEnjoy Your Life,â MARINA talks about savoring the here and now. Focusing on the future takes away from the present moment, the past is over, so enjoy right now. And right now may be difficult, and there will always be issues you canât solve, but you need to make the best of what you do have. Stressing about every little thing wonât make it better, so do what you can and try to enjoy the rest.Â
- Be true to yourself
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In âTrue,â MARINA talks about how the best person you can be is yourself. People will always try to tell you whatâs best for you, but really you need to be in control of yourself and only you can make decisions about your destiny and future.Â
- Our life choices are different and thatâs okay
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Similar to before, âLife is Strangeâ talks about how no one really knows what weâre doing. Weâre all trying to figure it out and following different paths. Though our paths may be different, we shouldnât judge each otherâs paths because weâre taking the one that works best for us. It may not work for somebody else, but that doesnât make it wrong.Â
These are just a few of the messages Iâve gotten from her songs that I especially enjoy; but Iâm sure there are many more if you check out some other songs. Overall, I think MARINA just gets that life is hard, and weâre all doing our best. Someone’s way may look strange, but she just wants us to work hard to do whatâs best for ourselves and not judge others doing the same in a different way. And isnât that what feminism is all about?
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HXCO, Lyss