By Breaunna Stone
A few weeks ago I was scrolling through iTunes looking at what new songs were at the top of the charts.
Keith Urban’s song “Female” stood out to me. I clicked the play preview and got goose bumps as I
listened to the words:
“When you hear somebody say somebody hits like a girl/
How does that hit you? /Is that such a bad thing?
When somebody laughs and implies that she asked for it / Just ’cause she was wearing a skirt / Oh
is that how it works?”
I was pleasantly surprised to hear a popular artist singing a hit song that basically called out the ever-
present plague of sexual harassment cases in Hollywood, the work place, and in society. I found the lyrics to be brave, authentic, genuine, inspiring, and timely.
Part of the inspiration of the song came from the Harvey Winsetin scandal that has completely engulfed
the media. In an interview with Billboard, Urban stated “As a husband and a father of two young girls, it
affects me in a lot of way.” He went on to say that “For a guy who grew up with no sisters in a house of boys, it’s incredible how now I’m surrounded by girls. But not only in my house; I employ a huge amount of women in my team. The song just hit me for so many reasons.”
After criticism that the song used the word “female” as a noun, one of the co-writers of the song, Nicolle Gaylon, in an interview with NPR stated: “I’m so freaking proud to be a female and to be
called a female – feels more like a badge of honor to me.” It is empowering to see women in positions of
influence finding strength in their femininity. Honoring womanhood, and what it means for society, allows us to better stand up to the corrupt and perverted behaviors so often ignored today.
With many of the news headlines and hashtags reading, “Me Too,” “Times Up,” and “Case of Sexual
Harassment,” etc., it is important to share and celebrate the “wins” and good things we come across. To
me, the song “Female” is one of those good things, and I hope there is more where it came from.