When asked to pick a song for this playlist I immediately knew my first selection would have to be Lily Allen, my go-to for feminist anthems. The question was, which Lily Allen song? Instead of picking one from her brilliant and feminist (in a more obvious way) album Sheezus, I’ve picked an earlier hit, The Fear.
I think The Fear is a perfect tribute to the ambiguity of being a modern, western woman - a woman who has strong political opinions and social criticisms, but equally a woman who cannot escape the fact that society values her appearance more than those opinions. Allen’s sarcasm and sorrow in the song makes for an astute and still current observation of life in the British limelight, but what’s more, it’s catchy as hell.
Track Submitted by Hilary Webb
Hilary Webb is a writer based near London. She enjoys writing about female health, literature,and culture, and blogs about all of the above, including her own reproductive health here. You can follow her on Twitter or Instagram.
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