The idea of a female pop star has always existed to be some kind of role model; a blueprint of how young girls should dress, act, feel, and grow up to be exactly like. They stay plastered in their era of arrival, like statutes in a museum that replicate a certain moment in time. This was how we dressed back then; this was who we idolised.

As each new generation of youth flips over like clockwork, what it means to be a female role model changes. Being overly sexualised has turned into owning your sexuality, G-rated love songs have turned into emotional turmoils and political statements are more in vogue than actual fashion. Since the late 2000s, female pop stars have been changing to please the new teenager and have gone against all traditional norms while doing so.

No longer are our idols trying to change us; instead they’re sending the message that we’re more than okay just the way we are. They’re humanizing themselves, ditching the cookie-cutter aesthetics for broken, vulnerable beauty and making art out of their struggles. They’re our older sisters, our friends, our leaders; and they’re redefining an entire industry.