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Spotify Tries and Fails to Empower Female Steamers on International Women's Day

Cosette Jarrett
Updated ·5 min read
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Women represented 55% of Spotify's user base in the U.S. in 2015. That being said, it's no surprise that the popular music streaming platform decided to join in on the celebration of International Women's Day (IWD) with a set of playlists dedicated to women in the music industry. The collection included playlists for women in multiple genres including Pop, EDM, Hip-Hop, Country, Jazz, etc.

Although Spotify's effort to create a playlist for women was admirable, many women (myself included) couldn't quite understand how and why some of the songs on the list were chosen to inspire and empower our gender on our designated day. In fact, the majority of the Women in Pop playlist made me and my female coworkers seriously question the qualifications of the "music specialist" behind its compilation. Did Spotify let an intern take the reins here? Was it an early April Fools' Day joke? Or did Drumpf make a celebrity guest contribution?

I get that there is no "perfect" way to portray feminism, but something was seriously off with this playlist. To give you a better idea of what I'm talking about, here are some of the most questionable tracks on the list.

1. Love Me Like You Do – Elli Goulding

Remember that movie that had women around the world angry about its portrayal of a controlling relationship as exciting and romantic? Well the theme song for that film made the list! If Spotify was hoping to represent Elli's important contributions as a woman in the music industry, maybe something a little more inspiring like "Anything Could Happen" would be a better choice?

2. Un-Break My Heart – Toni Braxton

There were definitely better song choices to represent Toni Braxton than "Un-Break My Heart." She is a strong woman who deserves a spot on this playlist, but why not choose a song that portrays her power rather than her upset surrounding a breakup? Maybe try "He Wasn't Man Enough" or "Yesterday"?

3. Halo – Beyoncé

Beyoncé is undeniably a female force beyond measure. That's why it surprised me that out of all of her famous female anthems, Spotify chose "Halo" as her contribution to their IWD playlist. The song is all about her relationship with Jay-Z which is great for those two, but doesn't really do as much for womankind as say "Formation" or "Run the World."

4. Work From Home – Fifth Harmony

"Make it clap with no hands..." I could just leave it here with this demanding lyric from the male artist in the song, but that's not even the biggest thing that makes this song a bad fit for celebrating IWD. The track depicts a woman praising her boyfriend for fulfilling his breadwinner role, but explains how she would like him to stay home for some one-on-one time instead. Where is her job? Does she really have nothing better to do than sit at home all day and obsess over her boyfriend?

5. You Drive Me Crazy – Britney Spears

All 90s babies know the power of Britney. She was our idol through adolescence and remains an inspiration to us all as we've watched her overcome some seriously trying times. That being said, do you really think "You Drive Me Crazy" is her most influential track for women? I think not! Let's try again with a track like "Stronger", "Womanizer", "Work B**ch", or even "Do Somethin'".

6. The Boy Is Mine – Brandi and Monica

Whoever decided that the track about two women fighting over a two-timing guy would serve as a great way to celebrate women overcoming diversity together was seriously confused. If Spotify was hoping to represent these influential women in music, they could have chosen tracks like "Almost Doesn't Count" by Brandi, "So Gone" by Monica, or "It All Belongs to Me" by the duo.

7. Genie In A Bottle – Christina Aguilera

Considering that Christina is a woman who's been championing for other women through her music for years, it was almost insulting that Spotify chose her very first song about being trapped in a bottle and needing a man to release her as her sole contribution to the Women of Pop playlist. What about her unapologetic female anthem with Lil Kim, "Can't Hold Us Down?" Or perhaps "Fighter" or "Beautiful?"

8. Candy – Mandy Moore

First thing that came to mind upon seeing this track added to the list was, "huh?" It's hard to understand why a song about a woman missing her crush like "candy" made it on a list intended to celebrate strong women.

9. How Do I Live – LeAnn Rimes

This song literally describes a woman who doesn't know how she will live without a man if he ever leaves...The answer to her question in "How Do I Live" from 1997 could be answered by a song she released in 2010 titled "Life Goes On".

10. The Heart Wants What It Wants – Selena Gomez

Selena's roller coaster ride of a relationship with the Biebs might be the most relevant thing about the singer to whoever created this list, but it's certainly not to most of her fans. A more appropriate Selena track for this list might have been "Perfect". Or, if you insist on making this about her and Bieber, at least choose a song where she comes out on top like "Same Old Love".

I'll admit, the playlist did include several awesome tracks like Demi Lovato's "Confident", "No" by Meghan Trainor, and "Roar" by Katy Perry. The problem is, the majority of the list was pretty bad, including additional wtf tracks like "Habits (Stray High)", "Bleeding Love", "With You", and "Because You Loved Me".
It's unlikely that the wildly successful streaming platform will stress too much over this small misstep as it continues to entertain its audience of over 75 million users, but I sure do hope they'll at least consider letting a different music expert compile this list in 2017. Better luck next year!