Okay, so "Body of My Own" is amazing because there's an imbalance between genders in terms of masturbation shame that reveals that masturbation among men is normalized whereas masturbation in women is seen as taboo and I love that this song brings attention to female masturbation because it's sexist to think women don't/can't/shouldn't masturbate simply because they are women. This song reminds me of the lyrics to "Star Bellied Boy" by Bikini Kill. Both songs address aspects of female sexuality (masturbation and orgasm, respectively) in a manner that is loud, revealing, with little regard to taboos.
Her use of punk elements, among other genres, also reminds me a lot of riot grrrl, which was notable for its ability to break into the punk genre that was primarily dominated by male musicians. Her use of a kickass all-female band is also reminiscent of the all-female (or mostly female) punk bands that pioneered third-wave feminism.
And she's loud. Her song "Sucker" comes to mind when I say this. Her loud declarations of "Fuck you, SUCKER" throughout the song, as well as the verse, "Sitting on a plastic speedboat / in the ultraviolet ocean / playing the cool songs / trying to show off / wow you're awesome / wow you're awesome" bring to mind the loud, screamed verses of Bikini Kill's music. "Fuck you, Sucker" is the new "You don't own me...Fuck!" that begins the song "Magnet." Her almost sarcastic delivery of the recurring "wow you're awesome" line is similar to the sarcasm in "Star Bellied Boy," when Kathleen Hanna declares that "you're no different from the rest." It's also reminiscent of the lines in "Sugar," delivered as if Kathleen is taunting whomever the song is meant for: "Oh baby I want you, you're so fucking big / you're so big and hard / you've got such a big cock."
In a century of Lorde, Taylor Swift, Beyonce, and many other artists today who bring feminism to pop music, Charli XCX unites the worlds of riot grrrl and pop music by combining loud lyrics, taboo topics, and a great beat. You can't really dance to Bikini Kill's Pussy Whipped album, but you can get up and dance to the title song from Sucker. Charli XCX is important because her music reminds us of where feminist music once was, and where it has been going recently.
I only started listening to her music today, and yet I already cannot wait to see what she does next.
~Abbey xoxo