Janelle Monáe is SO AWESOME! She’s certainly at the top of my “Women I’d love to Befriend” list. 

Monáe is such a shining light for “weird” black girls like me. For those of us who have been told we’re too “white,” we’re not “black enough”, we need to be more interested in “girly” or “black” things, etc., Monáe is that role model who says girls don’t have be put in a cookie cutter to be accepted.

Here’s what I said about her in my Taylor Swift/Nicki Minaj article:

If I have to stan for anyone, it’d be Janelle Monáe, because she has based her entire career partly on the premise that women can choose to be modest in public in terms of looks, dance, and demeanor and still be perceived as sexy. She gives me and girls like me the confidence to know that we don’t have to follow the path society sets out for us. We can be weird and still be cool.

Not only is she a great example for girls and women, but she’s also a great social justice leader. Not many people have put out social justice anthems, and thankfully, Monáe and her Wondaland crew are among the shortlist of those who realize their platforms mean something and can directly influence the course of American conversation. “Hell You Talmbout” is a powerful anthem that only lists the names of the people who have been killed by police violence, and the way the names are presented reiterate how important the fight to end police brutality is.

Not only does she put out dope, powerful music about injustice, but she and Wondaland also march with victims of police brutality, like Sandra Bland’s mother, Geneva Reed-Veal. (Wondaland has been marching all over the country; just check out Monáe’s timeline to see.)

What do you love about Janelle Monáe? Give your opinions in the comments section below!