Songs mean something different to everyone, so maybe Hailee Steinfeld means something completely different than I think she does and this song isn’t as important as I believe. But if her straightforward lyrics mean what I think they do, this song describes something many people have needed to hear for a long time.

If you’re a female past her twelfth birthday, you’ve had a male say “you aren’t like most girls” to you and mean it as a compliment. But what “you aren’t like most girls” implies, regardless of the intent of the statement, is that there’s something wrong with most girls, that girls are inherently bad, acting feminine is worse than acting masculine, and you should be proud that you don’t act the way most girls act.

Of course, if the guy saying it means “you’re better/kinder/more respectful/whatever than the girls I myself have previously dated”, that would be fine. But generally, it’s said to “compliment” women for acting differently than other women--not just women they've encountered, but how they assume all other women are. Which is bullshit, because most girls are great.

If you’ve never heard the song, Steinfeld basically describes why she wants to be like most girls, not different. She calls most girls smart, strong, and beautiful. She points out that no two girls are the same, so there’s no way to say one girl is unlike the rest since they’re all unique. She credits girls for being hard workers and being unstoppable. Steinfeld says she wants to be like most girls because there’s nothing wrong with being a girl.

This idea, as basic as it seems, is revolutionary. Girls are constantly told through many different messages that they’re weaker, less interesting, less important and going to do less in life, so many people think “you aren’t like most girls” is a compliment. It’s about time that changed.

Imagine a world where girls feel comfortable looking up to the average women as a role model, rather than viewing them as a starting point to improve upon and judge. Imagine a world where girls try to be feminine (or masculine, if that's what they want to be) because they know femininity is no longer synonymous with being weak or less. This song takes one of many necessary steps towards "you throw like a girl" being a compliment.

There are a million other cool things about this song, too, but you’ll just have to go listen to it to hear them all.