This is a rather belated fill for insmallpackages, for the wish Music with explicitly feminist and/or queer lyrics. As usual I began with enthusiasm and the intention of finishing before the holidays, and then...well. I may have got a little carried away. Music and feminism are two of my favourite things, and I had a great deal of fun putting this together. I have a pretty flexible definition of feminism, but I hope, wisher, that there is something in here that you enjoy!

Content warnings: this is feminism, and there are lyrics that address some tough stuff, including sexism, racism, and body image. There is also a section of music that specifically addresses domestic violence and violence against women, which is under a spoiler cut for those who may be triggered.

And without further ado, we begin with the song that introduced me to feminism, many many years ago...

glynis johns - sister suffragette
we're clearly soldiers in petticoats
and dauntless crusaders for women's votes!

p!nk - respect
mirror mirror on the wall
damn i sure look fine
i can't blame those horny boys
i would make me mine
when i pass you in a club
oo lala you gasp
back up boy i ain't your toy
or your piece of ass

ani difranco - not a pretty girl
i am not a pretty girl
that is not what i do
i ain't no damsel in distress
and i don't need to be rescued

michelle wright - nobody's girl
she's nobody's girl
she walks this road alone
she calls her soul her own
she knows she's on her own in this world
she's nobody's girl

amanda marshall - double agent
what do you hear when you hear me?
i hear you crank up jay-z it's your favourite jam
and you talk with your hands like an mc
betcha never get stopped by the police
you never ask me about me
about how i feel when you call all your white friends
'homeboy' and 'nigga' and 'homie'
oh please
it hurts me
and you don't see

nelly furtado - powerless (say what you want)
paint my face in your magazines
make it look whiter than it seems
paint me over with your dreams
shove away my ethnicity
burn every notion that i
may have a flame inside to fight
and say just what is on my mind
without offending your might

susan aglukark - stand up
stand up for the innocence
that makes you who you are
stand up for the dignity
that's brought you here so far
stand up for the higher dream
that you can realize
stand up and all the history
will only help you rise

martina mcbride - this one's for the girls
this one's for the girls
who've ever had a broken heart
who've wished upon a shooting star
you're beautiful the way you are

allison iraheta - don't waste the pretty
the light in you's starting to fade
don't let it get away
cause you're worth so much more
don't waste the pretty on him

deborah cox - beautiful u r
don't ever let nobody bring you down girl
don't ever let nobody tear your world apart
look in the mirror and see who you are
beautiful you are

tlc - unpretty
never insecure until i met you now i'm being stupid
i used to be so cute to me just a little bit skinny
why do i look to all these things to keep you happy?
maybe get rid of you and then i'll get back to me

carrie underwood - nobody ever told you
take off all the makeup girl
shine your light show the world
don't be shy don't be scared
you don't have to hide under there

india.arie - video
when i look in the mirror and the only one there is me
every freckle on my face is where it's supposed to be
and i know my creator didn't make no mistakes on me
my feet my thighs my lips my eyes i'm loving what i see

cher - you haven't seen the last of me
you don't know me you don't know who i am
don't count me out so fast
i've been brought down to my knees
and i've been pushed way past the point of breaking
but i can take it
i'll be back
back on my feet
this is far from over
you haven't see the last of me

[trigger warning: domestic violence]christina aguilera - i'm okay
bruises fade father but the pain remains the same
and i still remember how you kept me so afraid
strength is my mother for all the love she gave
every morning that i wake i look back to yesterday
and i'm okay

alanis morissette - versions of violence
these versions of violence
sometimes subtle sometimes clear
and the ones that go unnoticed
still leave their mark once disappeared

savage garden - two beds and a coffee machine
another bruise to try and hide
another alibi to write
another ditch in the road
you keep moving

tracy chapman - behind the wall
the police always come late
if they come at all
and when they arrive
they say they can't interfere
with domestic affairs
between a man and his wife

dixie chicks - goodbye earl
she finally got the nerve to file for divorce
she let the law take it from there
but earl walked right through that restraining order
and put her in intensive care

mary j blige - good woman down
when i used to see
my daddy beat
my mother down
down to her feet
i used to say
that ain't gon' never be me
now look at you
bruised up from him
girl recognize
you're better than
him tellin' you
that he'll never hit you again

carrie underwood - blown away
her daddy was a mean old mister
mama was an angel in the ground
the weather man called for a twister
she prayed blown it down
there's not enough rain in oklahoma
to was the sins out of that house
there's not enough wind in oklahoma
to rip the nails out of the past

amanda marshall - birmingham
3am and virgil's passed out on the sofa
a fifth of jim beam on the floor
she's packed her bags she slips the keys out of his pocket
she's careful not to slam the door
and as she drives she rubs her rosary
she's never been so all alone she's never felt so free

martina mcbride - independence day
she lit up the sky that fourth of july
by the time that the firemen come
they just put out the flames and took down some names
and sent me to the county home
now i ain't sayin it's right or it's wrong
but maybe it's the only way
talk about your revolution
it's independence day

miranda lambert - gunpowder & lead
he slapped my face and he shook me like a ragdoll
don't that sound like a real man?
i'm going to show him what little girls are made of
gunpowder and lead