Song I Am Woman I Am Fearless

Okay, let's talk about a song. A song many people hold *very* dear. A song considered an anthem.

I'm talking about "I Am Woman" by Helen Reddy. You know, the one that goes, "I am woman, hear me roar!"

Hear Me...Yaw?

Now, don't get me wrong. I appreciate the sentiment. I truly do. But...does anyone else find it a tad...dramatic?

I mean, "hear me roar"? It sounds like a lion woke up on the wrong side of the savanna. Or maybe a particularly grumpy housecat.

Perhaps I'm being unfair. It came out in 1972. Times were different. Dramatic declarations were probably the norm.

Unpopular Opinion Alert!

Here's where things get spicy. Brace yourselves. I'm about to commit musical blasphemy.

I think..."I Am Woman"...is kind of cheesy. There! I said it. It's out in the open.

Please don't throw tomatoes. I'm just being honest. It feels like a power ballad that's been left out in the sun too long.

Maybe the problem is the "fearless" part. “I am woman I am fearless”. Who is always fearless? That sounds exhausting!

I prefer my anthems with a little more nuance. A little more...relatability. Something that acknowledges the occasional desire to hide under the duvet with a tub of ice cream.

Because let’s be real, sometimes I'm not roaring. Sometimes, I'm just trying to make it to Friday.

Fearful and Fabulous

Maybe a better title would be "I Am Woman, Hear Me Sigh." Or perhaps, "I Am Woman, Pass the Chocolate."

Or even "I Am Woman, Currently Dealing With a Mild Existential Crisis." Catchy, right?

My point is, strength doesn't always have to be loud and boisterous. Sometimes, strength is getting out of bed when you really don't want to.

Sometimes, strength is admitting you're not okay. Sometimes, strength is asking for help. This is what the song missed.

Maybe Helen Reddy had it all figured out. Maybe I'm just a cynical millennial who needs to lighten up.

The Roar of Self-Doubt

But honestly, I think it's okay to be a woman who's sometimes scared. A woman who sometimes doubts herself.

A woman who occasionally needs a good cry and a pep talk from her best friend.

That doesn't make us any less powerful. In fact, I'd argue it makes us even more so.

So, go ahead and sing your heart out to "I Am Woman." I won't judge. (Okay, maybe a little bit.)

But me? I'll be over here, embracing my perfectly imperfect, sometimes-fearful, but always-trying-my-best womanhood.

Besides, I sound terrible when I roar. More like a kitten with a head cold.

And that's perfectly okay.