Hello!! I hope everyone has been enjoying the beautiful sunshine and good weather! I hope you enjoyed “LET ME LOVE YOU,” this week’s playlist is called “strong female leads.” Aptly titled because every song features a female lead.

Anyone that knows me knows that I am a feminist. A proud feminist, actually. A loud feminist. Some people wonder why I am so open about my feminism, as if feminism is some sort of nasty word. And I can understand why they think that. Feminism is often misconstrued and misunderstood. Being a female for the past 16 years has helped me to learn that misogyny is real. I have also discovered that change can come in big or small ways. Inequality and gender discrimination exists in all workplaces and industries, including the music industry. So made this playlist. I made this playlist for all women, but it also has very personal ties.

I made this playlist for the time I was in kindergarten and I drew a picture of my Abuelita, who has short hair, and was made fun of because “girls aren’t supposed to have short hair.”

Its for the time in first grade and my friends and I were talking about how much we weighed. They weighed 39 pounds and I weighed 42, I was embarrassed so I lied and told them I weighed 38 pounds.

Or for the time I was in second grade and got in trouble because my uniform skirt was too short, and too distracting.

This playlist is for the time I was in third grade and I got called bossy for trying to lead my group project.

Its for the time I was in fourth grade and couldn’t wrap my index finger and thumb around my wrist, so I thought I was fat.

Its for the time I was in fifth grade and I got made fun of for having thick eyebrows, so I went home and plucked the one thing that brought me close to my Mexican heritage.

Its for when I was in sixth grade and got my period for the first time, and my biggest fear was how I was going to get a pad out of my backpack when I went to the bathroom.

Its for the time in seventh grade when I was told that “girls can’t be be the president.”

I made this playlist because when I was in eighth grade my male teacher gave me a C on the research paper I wrote about the wage gap, because he claimed “it doesn’t exist.”

Its for freshman year when I wasn’t allowed to hang out with boys because my parents were afraid of their intentions.

Its for sophomore year, when I was going to Lollapalooza, and my mom had to sit me down and tell me what to do if one of my friends or I got date-raped.

And this playlist is for now, when I see acts of misogyny almost every day. Because sometimes it can seem hopeless, like equality will never come. But it will. Start calling people out when they use words that are demeaning towards women. Your words have power. Choose them wisely.

So yes, I am a feminist. I’m not going to force you to believe anything, but reconsider not being a feminist. Feminism is not just for women, feminism is equality. Men face just as many gender stereotypes and women do. In the crazy world we live in today, sometimes intentions can get lost in the whirlwind of information. So let me make this clear: feminism is for everybody and with everybody. Enjoy “strong female leads,” and remember to look for the strong female leads you see in your life every day.

Favorite song: Dreams, Fleetwood Mac. I LOVE this song, like an unhealthy amount. I really don’t know what it is, but I could listen to this song for hours on repeat and never get bored. I think it’s the lyrics, something about it lifts me up and makes me want to dance. Stevie Nicks’ voice carries the song and makes it truly beautiful.

Hidden gem: Coffee, Sylvan Esso. This song gives me chills every single time I listen to it. A lot of people know this song, but I feel like it gets overlooked a lot. That’s why it is my hidden gem. The mix of the vocals and electronics makes this song worth obsessing over. Give it a listen.

Artist to watch for: Kero Kero Bonito. This British band, lead by Sarah Midori Perry features insanely catchy lyrics, samples and beats. Their music is just the perfect amount of weird, incorporating some pretty funky samples, including the Mario Bros. theme song, among other things. Additionally, almost all of their songs feature some Japanese which is pretty cool, you get a language lesson with every listen!