Ani Difranco – Not A Pretty Girl

I love this song. I’d say if I was going to pick a “theme song” that summed me up, this would probably be it.  I am a feminine girl for the most part (though I have no problem taking off the flowery skirts and getting dirty when needed). But feminine and pretty are not the same. I am not a “pretty girl” nor would I ever want to be one. I like myself the way I am.  The good, the bad, the odd – it all makes me who I am, and I know I’m not perfect, but I don’t know what else I could possibly be other than just myself.

I am not a pretty girl
that is not what I “do”
I ain’t no damsel in distess
and I don’t need to be rescued
so put me down punk
maybe you’d prefer a maiden fair
isn’t there a kitten stuck up a tree somewhere

I am not an angry girl
but it seems like I’ve got everyone fooled
every time I say something they find hard to hear
they chalk it up to my anger
and never to their own fear
and imagine you’re a girl
just trying to finally come clean
knowing full well they’d prefer you
were dirty, and smiling

and I am sorry
I am not a maiden fair
and I am not a kitten stuck up a tree somewhere

and generally my generation
wouldn’t be caught dead working for the man
and generally I agree with them
trouble is you gotta have youself an alternate plan
and I have earned my disillusionment
I have been working all of my life
and I am a patriot
I have been fighting the good fight
and what if there are no damsels in distress
what if I knew that and I called your bluff?
don’t you think every kitten figures out how to get down
whether or not you ever show up

I am not a pretty girl
I don’t want to be a pretty girl
no, I want to be more than a pretty girl

Ani DiFranco – Not A Pretty Girl