I have a wife. I have 2 sisters. I have a mother. But I could never fool myself into thinking that I can truly comprehend how it feels to be a woman in society today (or since the dawn of time). I can only try my best to be there for the strong females in my life, march alongside them and be so grateful for their grace and poise in world that kind is (excuse my language) really fucking terrible to the female gender a lot of the time. Its this reason why I am incredibly grateful for a band like Laura Cortese & The Dance Cards.

The latest effort from the group is a 3 minute and 38 second empowering reminder to not only women to be themselves, but for the rest of the world (yes, men, that means us) to stop trying to shape a woman into some sort of ideal or construct that they are not. A reminder to be true to themselves and who they really are and for the other half of the population to embrace that and to be conscious of the fact that how we address others can have a lasting impact, whether purposeful or not.

The message from Cortese at the beginning of the video states “This song represents the words we hear from lovers, family, teachers and friends that try to shape us into something other than who we are. Growing up, I was always “too intense”. Be less enthusiatic. Be more mysterious. Who were you told to be? Did you listen? This video is a reminder to create space, to reflect and to celebrate as we define ourselves in our own words.”

I am sorry that the need for these kinds of reminders still exists, but I am inspired by the voices of wonderful artists like Laura, Valerie, Jenna and all the hardworking female artists in this video and beyond exist to speak for all of us who yearn for an existence where equality is a given. Seeing the faces of so many women I admire as people (and artists), and so many I have yet to meet, cross the frame is energizing and wonderful.

To the band I say “thank you” and to everyone else I say “watch, listen and lets better ourselves”.