sexandsensibilities.com

By Liz Martin, Sex and Sensibilities.com Contributor

In fairy tales, princesses tend to wait for Prince Charming to come along, rescue them from whatever distress they’re currently experiencing, and provide a happy ending. Until then, they weather out the storm, letting their evil stepmothers and vicious sorceress-queen rivals make them into slaves, poison them, or lock them in towers for years.

Nowadays, back in reality, we’re out of the age of B.S. (Before SAS), but we still have our own evil stepmothers and vicious sea queens—they just come in different forms. We do not, however, have the assurance that a prince will eventually come to our rescue.

What’s a girl to do then? Remain a damsel in distress? Of course not! The SASsy girl chooses to be her own knight in shining armorbecause she knows that before she can love someone else, she must first love—and be able to take care of—herself.

The road to self-acceptance, however, isn’t always a smooth ride. Sometimes, we feel ugly. We feel unworthy. And we encounter people who make us feel even worse about ourselves.

When you’re going through a rough patch, one of the great ways to uplift your spirits is to listen to music which can often reach deep within our souls and touch our emotions. Fortunately, these days there are many strong female musicians who are out there writing songs just about how to best celebrate you.

So drop the “woe is me”, try on the SASsy, and start belting these great tunes from the top of your lungs:

1.      “Who Says” Selena Gomez & The Scene

The Disney darling wrote this song as a response to all the “haters” who were trying to bring her down. If your self esteem is taking a beating from the judgment of others, this is a great song to listen to. In this world of haters, it encourages you to tune their negativity out and realize that you are great and should never want to be anyone but yourself. You just have to believe it!

2.       “Nobody’s Fool” by Avril Lavigne

Avril is a true blue believer in self-empowerment–a constant message of her songs. In this song, “Nobody’s Fool”, Avril sings about the importance of standing up to someone you love who is trying to change you into someone you are not. It’s great to be loved, but you should never try to be someone else just to please another person. As Avril’s song says, the real you matters and if someone can’t accept that, then you’re better off without them.

3.       “Loser Like Me” by Glee’s New Directions

The members of New Directions were high school outcasts, but even though others called them losers—and even gave them the occasional slushie facial—they didn’t let it stop them from singing their hearts out, and they even wrote a song about it. As the song will tell you, everybody starts somewhere. Just take a cue from some of the most famous people today—some of them were called “losers”, but look at where they are now. Do people talk about you?  Do you feel that you don’t fit in with the rest? Forget it. Go march to the beat of your own drum and believe that someday, you, the so-called loser, will be a shining star.

4.       “Firework” by Katy Perry

Katy Perry may now be a household name, but success didn’t come easy for her. Her song “Firework” speaks strongly about believing in yourself. Know who you are and stick to it, and when the going gets tough, believe that, as long as you don’t give up on yourself, you will make it through.

5.      “Born This Way” by Lady Gaga

Sometimes we are our own harshest critic. Ever look in the mirror and think that you’re just not pretty enough? Tall enough? Thin enough? To love yourself means learning to embrace everything about you—disappointments included.  In this song, Lady Gaga says that God makes no mistakes: you are you, and perfect in your own way.

6. “This is Me” by Demi Lovato

Do you often choose to sit on the sidelines and go unnoticed? Do you put on an act because you’re afraid people may not like you for who you really are? Either way, as you will learn from Demi’s song, that’s not the way to live. Speak your mind; step into the spotlight. Some may like the real you and some may not. But never be afraid to give yourself a chance.

7.      “Video” by India Arie

Admit it, when you see a celebrity with long, shiny locks, perfect teeth, clear skin and a sexy body, you may be tempted to look at yourself and think, “Why can’t I be like that?” If this describes you, you are certainly not the only one out there struggling with similar questions, and that’s why India Arie’s song should be included in your self-empowerment playlist. As the song says, so what if you don’t look like Selena Gomez, Miley Cyrus, or any other celebrity or supermodel out there? Your worth as a person is not determined by the clothes you wear or how you look: happiness starts from being comfortable in your own skin.

8.      “Girl Power” by Cheetah Girls

In life, there will always be times when you fall, when you get frustrated because things aren’t going the way you want them to. It happens to everyone, but what matters is that when you fall, you don’t stay down—you get up and prove to everyone, especially to yourself, that you can brush yourself off and move on. And what better song to cheer you on than the Cheetah Girls’ “Girl Power”?

9.      “Don’t You Know You’re Beautiful” by Kelly Pickler

If you’ve ever felt unattractive, then let this song of Kelly’s teach you a thing or two. So what if you don’t look like your peers? So what if you prefer to dress in a simple outfit of jeans and a T-shirt? You don’t have to change who you are just to belong. Remember that what makes you different makes you unique—and thus beautiful.

10.  “Work That” by Mary J. Blige

This is a great song to conclude your girl power playlist. Take a cue from Ms. Mary herself as she tells you that if she can make it, so can you. All you have to do is be yourself and work on what you have.