Women’s History Month always makes me think about the stories we tell about women, whose voices get amplified, whose achievements get minimized, and how much work still clearly needs to be done.
This month specifically, one song kept coming to mind was Taylor Swift’s “The Man.” Although it came out years ago, it sadly still feels just as relevant now, especially for young women like me trying to find a place in this world that still treats confidence differently depending on gender.
What I will always love about this song is how boldly it calls out the double standards women face every day. Taylor Swift is clearly imagining how her life would be perceived if she were a man: how her ambition would be praised instead of questioned, how her confidence would be seen as leadership instead of arrogance, how her success would be attributed to talent instead of luck. I see versions of this constantly, whether it’s in the classroom, clubs, or even during casual conversations.
Listening to “The Man” during Women’s History Month feels like a reminder that these patterns aren’t random; they are a part of a long history of women being expected to shrink themselves. Honestly, it’s empowering to name it. In the song, she obviously doesn’t tiptoe around the issue; she spells out the frustration so many of us feel but don’t know how to articulate.
College is supposed to be the place where we figure out who we are, but it’s also where gender expectations become more painfully obvious. When my male peers get praised for the bare minimum or having the same exact major as me, it is truly infuriating. When Swift sings about how differently she’d be treated if she were a man, it feels like she’s narrating the invisible rules we’re all trying to navigate.
The song isn’t all about frustration; it’s about possibility. It challenges us to imagine a world where women don’t have to work twice as hard for half the recognition. That’s exactly what Women’s History Month is about: honoring the women who pushed against those expectations and made space for the rest of us.
“The Man” encourages young women like me to keep pushing, to take up space unapologetically, and to question the narratives that try to define us.
So as I listen to this song, I let it remind me of the kind of woman I want to become: one who doesn’t shrink herself, one who recognizes her own power, and one who honors the women who fought for the opportunities I have today.