9 Madison Avenue Lyrics That Sparked Your Feminist Awakening

"I belong to me, so don't call me baby."

Remember "Don't Call Me Baby," the chart-topping bop from 1999? It's basically a feminist anthem and its message is still totally relevant today.

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1. "Don't think that I'm not strong / I'm the one to take you on."

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And you were like: "I have chosen to no longer be apologetic for my femininity. And I want to be respected in all my femaleness. Because I deserve to be."

(Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, via Feminist)

2. "Don't underestimate me, boy, I'll make you sorry you were born."

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And you were like: "Never underestimate the power of a woman."

(Nellie McClung, via WomensRightsWorld)

3. "Don't call me baby."

HBO

HBO

HBO

And you were like: "It’s not what you call me, but what I answer to."

(African proverb, via LivingEmpowered)

4. "You know I don't belong to you."

The CW

And you were like: "Never let the hand you hold, hold you down."

(Author unknown, via FeministEzine)

5. "It's time you knew I'm not your baby."

Columbia Pictures

And you were like: "Nobody objects to a woman being a good writer or sculptor or geneticist if at the same time she manages to be a good wife, a good mother, good-looking, good-tempered, well-dressed, well-groomed, and unaggressive."

(Marya Mannes, via QuoteGarden)

6. "I belong to me, so don't call me baby."

CBS

And you were like: "It doesn’t matter who you are, or where you came from. The ability to triumph begins with you. Always."

(Oprah Winfrey, via LivingEmpowered)

7. "Behind my smile is my I.Q."

ABC Family

And you were like: "We say to girls: You can have ambition, but not too much. You should aim to be successful but not too successful, otherwise you will threaten the man. If you are the breadwinner in your relationship with a man, pretend that you are not, especially in public, otherwise you will emasculate him."

(Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, via Feminist)

And from the 2000 ANTHEM "Who The Hell Are You?"

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8. "I don't take it, the way you like to give it."

Paramount Pictures

And you were like: "The question isn’t who’s going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me."

(Ayn Rand, via LivingEmpowered)

9. "Who the hell are you to treat me like that?"

20th Television

20th Television

20th Television

And you were like: "Remember, no one can make you feel inferior without your consent."

(Eleanor Roosevelt, via LivingEmpowered)

I don't know about you, but a Madison Avenue reunion tour is Everything *I* Need!

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