‘I am woman’: What this audio means to influencers that have used the sound

‘Not only are we fearless and unbeatable, but as women we can be anything we want’

2 years ago

CW: Mentions of misogyny, hate crimes and spiking

The “I AM WOMAN” audio on TikTok, sung by artist Emmy Meli has been used in nearly 500k videos, in which users post videos or pictures of themselves to the words “I am woman, I am fearless, I am sexy, I’m divine. I’m unbeatable, I’m creative, honey, you can get in line”. Most of the videos posted are following one trend, in which people use the audio to demonstrate to themselves (and others) that they are what’s been described by the audio. In fact, it’s become so popular that there have been renditions of it using cats, dogs and even hamsters.

In light of the “Reclaim the Streets” campaign, increases in spiking and a rejection to make misogyny a hate crime, many have taken to social media to show their strength as women. I spoke to some of the influencers using this audio about what it means to them.

‘Encapsulate what it means to be a human’

Taylor BeepBoop, a San Francisco based 27 year-old with 190k followers on TikTok (@tbeepboop), mainly chronicles her home renovations and DIY projects from her 120 year old house. She used the audio to a compilation of her (actually gorgeous) DIY projects, and gained over 13.3M views. The caption for the video reads “for a year I was generally depressed, stressed & sick. I made my home my happy place by doing DIYs❣️”

@taybeepboop via Instagram

When I asked why she chose to use this audio with those clips, she told me that she feels like “home renovation and working with power tools is assumed to be for ‘the man of the house'”, but she has done her own home completely on her own and loves “the empowering feeling of that as well as the empowering feeling of the song”.

“The artist’s words are beautiful and encapsulate what it means to be a human” she continues, “you can be feminine AND masculine, you don’t have to be pigeonholed into one category.”

@tbeepboopFor a year I was generally depressed, stressed & sick. I made my home my happy place by doing DIYs❣️ #diy #MacysGiftTok #fyp #homedecor #home #foryou

♬ I AM WOMAN – ❦ emmy meli ❦

‘Life is way too short to live in a defined box’

Eleri is a 22 year-old based in the UK. Her 185k followers on TikTok (@elerireecejones) follow her journey as she fights cancer, alongside some other videos of her life. Her video with this audio details photos throughout her cancer diagnosis and treatment, and gained 1.3M views, with the caption “🌻damn this is empowering🌻”.

@eleri_rj via Instagram

“To me it has always seemed that women are put into a box”, she told me. “They are either smart or sexy or creative or academic, and never all of them at once. If living through the pandemic or having cancer has taught me anything it’s that life is way too short to live in a defined box”. That’s what the song represents for Eleri, that not only are women “fearless and unbeatable”, but that as women, “we can be anything we want”.

To Eleri, being a women means “refusing to live up to other people’s standards, to outdated gender norms and to labels that are given to women.”

“It means being fearless but humble, opinionated but kind and driven but supportive”, she continued.

@eleri_rj via Instagram

When asked if she had a female role model, she told me it was probably her Grandma, who was “absolutely ruthless but had a heart of gold.”. She tells me that her Grandma dedicated her life to education and helping others, and that she is definitely Eleri’s “inspiration to fight cancer” as well as to live her life “honestly, elegantly and fearlessly”.

Eleri’s advice to others out there is to “allow yourself to appreciate the person you are, you have strength and beauty you never imagined.”

@elerireecejones🌻 damn this is empowering 🌻 #iamwoman #divinefeminine

♬ I AM WOMAN – ❦ emmy meli ❦

‘The best form of self love is self acceptance’

Naomi is a 22 year-old trans woman based in LA. She has over 766k followers on TikTok (@naomiheartsxo), who follow her funny and relatable content. Her video using the “I AM WOMAN” audio has amassed almost 1M views. She tells me that what inspired her to use the audio was seeing all the amazing creators create content with the song, and that although she knows it sounds cliché, she found it “so crazy seeing how everyone interpreted the words of the song differently”. She continued by saying she found it “so crazy to see how one sound can just bring so many different people together and how we can draw inspiration from each other and still make it different.”

@naomiheartsxo via Instagram

When asked what being a woman means to her, Naomi said that being a woman is “being confident, being unique, being yourself and supporting all women. Being a woman is about empowering other women, about empowering other feminine presenting people to be their best versions of themselves and to always uplift and support each other”.

“In this world where we are often put against each other”, she continues, “I think it’s amazing to see women sticking up for each other and that’s what being a woman means to me. It’s about being powerful.”

Naomi’s main female role models are Laverne Cox, and her mum. Talking about Laverne Cox, Naomi says “as a trans woman, she has really inspired me in so many ways, and has paved the way for so many trans people, and I’m truly grateful for her”. In regards to her mum, Naomi tells me that without her mum, she wouldn’t really know how to be herself, and that “she truly accepted me for all of my differences and I’m forever grateful.”

@naomiheartsxo via Instagram

Naomi’s advice is to not be afraid to be yourself. “I know that this world is so scary”, she says, “and I know society tries to tell us that the perfect woman is a certain shape, a certain look, and that’s just not the case.

“I strongly believe that the best form of self-love is self-acceptance, and accepting who you are and embracing your differences, because that’s truly what makes us beautiful, and what truly makes us unique”.

“Self-accept and then self-love, and then just embrace it and live in confidence.”

@naomiheartsxo #greenscreen #foru #plussize #trans #plussizeedition #bodypositivity #relatable

♬ I AM WOMAN – ❦ emmy meli ❦

‘Focus on being the best version of yourself, whatever that is’

Katelin is a 23 year-old professional footballer based in London, with 361k followers on TikTok (@katiehawyeet). Her video with the caption “I like this trend a lot” gained 2.2M views, and includes both pictures of her day-to-day life, as well as shots of her playing football.

@katelin_talbert via Instagram

Katelin tells me that she was inspired to use this song after seeing other beautiful women on Tiktok showing how the song made them feel. She says that “every time I heard that song I truly believed that I was each one of those things”, and says it was hard for her to choose which pictures she wanted for each adjective when making the video.

To Katelin, being a woman means “being independent, not relying on anyone for anything and being your own person and being strong”.

@katelin_talbert via Instagram

Katelin doesn’t really have a role model, but she tries “to be the best version of [her]self”, and that she takes certain qualities she thinks are good from other people. “When I see [a] very strong and independent woman it makes me want to be one as well”, she says.

When asked for any advice, Katelin says “I would say just focus on being the best version of yourself, whatever that is.”