5 Days of Summer
Venture with me with five days of my all-time favorite Summer Walker songs!
My favorite artist of the week is one that many are familiar with: Summer Walker.
As a sped up version of her song, “BP”, has gone viral on Tiktok recently, I have been drawn back to one of her best albums: Last Day of Summer released in 2018.
Summer Walker is a singer-songwriter known for her unique blend of R&B and soul songs.She gained notoriety with her debut studio album, "Over It," published in 2019. The album received praise for its authentic and intimate lyrics. Walker's music typically explores themes of love, relationships, and personal experiences, which engage with audiences because to their emotional depth. Summer Walker has established herself as a prominent figure in contemporary R&B music.
Now, let's discuss my top five Summer Walker tracks. It was a difficult selection considering Summer Walker nearly never disappoints and her music is consistently impactful; yet, these five songs, with their vivid lyrics and innovative melodies, have often put my feelings into words. Each music has a distinct depth of emotion, allowing me to feel understood and less alone during times of struggle and introspection.
At Number five, we have Fun Girl.
The song Fun Girl highlights a very important social topic: double standard dynamics.
Double standard dynamics allude the ruthless reality that similar actions extract different societal attitudes based on gender. Certain actions performed by men are deemed as acceptable and sometimes celebrated while they are frowned upon and faced with judgement and disproval. Walker alludes to these double standards, writing, “Guess that makes me undesirable; guess that makes you so attractive.” These attitudes are rooted in societal narratives and expectations, impacting the world of personal relationships, professional environments, and public perceptions.
The double standard prevails; and that is what Fun Girl is all about.
I began relating to Fun Girl as I entered college. It’s quite interesting to see how having a certain mindset and living a certain lifestyle can lead to society dismissing you or labeling you; particularly as a young woman. Especially when the lifestyle you live diverges from conventional expectations for women.
For example, podcast warriors are looking for the soft girls now; but just a year ago they wanted “boss chics with they own bags”. Now, if I am amply able to provide for myself, or as Summer writes, “know what I want”, it is misconstrued as me being masculine, accompanied by suggestions to “work on stepping into my feminine energy”. It's a whirlwind of changing expectations.
Further, I feel that societal expectations have overcomplicated the essence of a woman —and similarly, the essence of being a man. It confines women to predefined roles and limits what is deemed acceptable for them. In my own experience, I embrace a lifestyle that seamlessly weaves between being a part-time soft girl, while also getting ready to DMX. I take my life seriously and do things with intention, but I also like to have fun and balance carefreeness. I like pink, but I like black just as much. I am both soft and assertive. I would be the best stay at home wife and be just as good of a businesswoman. I like to be catered to, but I can also provide for myself. And none of those things make me any less worthy of love that a young woman you fits perfectly into the mold of what society expects from a woman.
I encourage you to be who God made you to be. It doesn’t matter if society is unaccepting or if it makes you undesirable. In a world that's ever-changing and trend-driven, staying true to yourself is a revolutionary act of resistance.
Check back tomorrow for my #4 favorite Summer Walker song.