Music has always meant a lot to me. As a kid I would perform for my family (literally entire albums by Kelly Clarkson and Taylor Swift), and through middle school and high school I spent countless hours in the choir room and performing. Singing and listening to music is an outlet for me and, as a self proclaimed “sad girl”, I love songs that mean something and make me feel something.
As a Registered Dietitian I counsel clients on body image. Oftentimes I recommend surrounding themselves with positive influences and reminders of their worth. That could mean cleaning up their social media, setting boundaries with problematic friends and family, writing affirmations in places they see often, or even listening to self love songs to boost morale.
In the post you’ll find a list of 42 self love songs that I’ve found over the years. These self love songs make me reflect on various parts of my self love journey or give me the ego boost I need to feel my best. I also have a collection of my favorite self love and discovery books, that you can see here.
For your convenience, I created a playlist on Spotify, linked the YouTube videos below, and highlighted the lyrics that scream self love. Happy listening!
The Self Love Songs Playlist
42 Self Love Songs
1. Love Me More by Sam Smith
“Have you ever felt like being somebody else?
Feeling like the mirror isn’t good for your health?
Every day, I’m tryin’ not to hate myself
But lately, it’s not hurtin’ like it did before
Maybe I am learnin’ how to love me more”
This self love song speaks to healing and understanding that at the very least, you deserve to accept yourself.
“I kinda wanna throw my phone across the room
‘Cause all I see are girls too good to be true
With paper-white teeth and perfect bodies
Wish I didn’t care
I know their beauty’s not my lack
But it feels like that weight is on my back
And I can’t let it go
Co-comparison is killing me slowly
I think, I think too much
‘Bout kids who don’t know me”
Have you ever heard that comparison is the thief of joy? This self love song speaks to the ugly repercussions of comparison and how sometimes we see beauty in other people at the expense of our own.
“There was a time
I was living as a prisoner inside my own mind
And there was a time
Where the cat and mouse tried to make me
Barbie sized and I obliged”
Demi Lovato writes about how her eating disorder took her prisoner inside her own mind. I believe that the “cat and mouse” eludes to chasing a smaller body side that society deems more acceptable in her industry. This feeling is common if you’ve ever dieted or intentionally tried to change your body. You may have also felt this as it’s generally more “acceptable” to be in a smaller body, whether you’re a celebrity or not.
It’s impossible to choose one verse from this song to highlight because the entire self love song is about recognizing your own beauty! Who gets a say in your self worth? Only you.
“She has dreams to be an envy
So she’s starving, you know, cover girls eat nothing
She says, “Beauty is pain and there’s beauty in everything
What’s a little bit of hunger? I can go a little while longer, ” she fades away
She don’t see her perfect, she don’t understand she’s worth it
Or that beauty goes deeper than the surface, oh, oh
So to all the girls that’s hurting, let me be your mirror
Help you see a little bit clearer the light that shines within”
This self love song can serve as a reminder that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. You don’t have to be thin to be beautiful- the most beautiful “you” is the one that’s fed, healthy, and happy.
“I am beautiful no matter what they say
Words can’t bring me down
I am beautiful in every single way
Yes, words can’t bring me down, oh no
So don’t you bring me down today”
Truly a body image anthem! This feels like a song that can reinforce your body image on days that it’s being challenged by people in your life. We shouldn’t strive to be beautiful as the pinnacle of our existence, but we deserve to feel good in our skin.
“Oh, have you looked in the mirror lately? (Lately)
Wish you could trade eyes with me ’cause (Oh)
There’s complexities in complexion
But your skin, it glow like diamonds
Pigment like the earth, you be giving birth
To everything alive, baby, know your worth
I love everything about you, from your nappy curls
To every single curve, your body natural
Same skin that was broken
Be the same skin takin’ over
Most things out of focus view
But when you’re in the room, they notice you (Notice you)
‘Cause you’re beautiful“
As a girl without brown skin, this song is so uplifting! It’s upbeat and it speaks to the magic and majesty that women hold.
Period. Enough said.
“Most girls are smart and strong and beautiful
Most girls, work hard, go far, we are unstoppable
Most girls, our fight to make every day
No two are the same
I wanna be like, I wanna be like most girls”
I love that this song addresses the fake compliment some women get, that we “aren’t like most girls”. Forget that! I want to shine like my sisters and share in our womanhood.
“Don’t feel like putting makeup on my cheeks
Do what I wanna
Love every single part of my body
Top to the bottom
I’m not a supermodel from a magazine
I’m okay with not being perfect
‘Cause that’s perfect to me”
This self love song get’s all my love because it speaks to having a full life where body concerns don’t hold you back. No one can be perfect for everyone, you owe it to yourself and others to be yourself.
“And do your hair toss
Check my nails
Baby how you feelin’?
Feeling good as hell”
Yes, I do scream sing “GOOD AS HELL” when this song comes on and I will not apologize for it. “Good As Hell” is the perfect anthem for when you’re really feelin’ yourself, or when you want to be!
“We shine the light on whatever’s worst
Perfection is a disease of a nation (Pretty hurts, pretty hurts)
Pretty hurts
We shine the light on whatever’s worst
We try to fix something
But you can’t fix what you can’t see
It’s the soul that needs a surgery”
This entire song feels like it’s sung to the diet and beauty industries that are constantly selling us a “better” way to be. Beyonce and I reassure you that you are enough without another diet or a boob job.
“You don’t have to feel like a waste of space
You’re original, cannot be replaced
If you only knew what the future holds
After a hurricane comes a rainbow
Maybe a reason why all the doors are closed
So you could open one that leads you to the perfect road
Like a lightning bolt, your heart will glow
And when it’s time, you’ll know”
“Firework” highlights that everyone’s journey is different and that we all have a unique light that is absolutely unmatched.
“Young woman reading magazines
Thinking to herself, “Nobody looks like me”
“Oh, I’ve got all these curves, all this nerve”
“Why can’t I keep a man?”
But baby girl if you love yourself you can
Can’t nobody love somebody that do not love themselves
You are what you choose to be
It’s not up to no one else
So be great, be kind
Don’t let them dim your light
A woman like a sun should always stay bright“
This is such a beautiful song that speaks to both women and men, which is rare! A must on any self love playlist.
“Who’s that sexy thing I see over there?
That’s me, standin’ in the mirror
What’s that icy thing hanging ’round my neck?
Um, that’s gold, show me some respect, oh”
This is another upbeat feel good banger to boost confidence.
“It’s bad bitch o’clock, yeah, it’s thick-thirty
I’ve been through a lot but I’m still flirty (okay)
Is everybody back up in the buildin’?
It’s been a minute, tell me how you’re healin’
‘Cause I’m about to get into my feelings
How you feelin’? How you feel right now?
Oh, I’ve been so down and under pressure
I’m way too fine to be this stressed, yeah
Oh, I’m not the girl I was or used to be
Uh, bitch, I might be better”
Lizzo is the queen of feel good anthems, and this one is no exception! I love how she highlights her own growth, love for her body, and her healing.
“Yeah, it’s pretty clear, I ain’t no size two
But I can shake it, shake it, like I’m supposed to do
‘Cause I got that boom boom that all the boys chase
And all the right junk in all the right places
I see the magazines (Ah-ha) working that Photoshop (Ah-ha)
We know that shit ain’t real, come on now, make it stop
If you got beauty, beauty (Ah-ha), just raise ’em up
‘Cause every inch of you is perfect from the bottom to the top”
This song was revolutionary when it came out and still celebrates a body size that is sometimes not accepted in the media and music industry.
“I stare at my reflection in the mirror
Why am I doing this to myself?
Losing my mind on a tiny error
I nearly left the real me on the shelf
No, no, no, no, no
Brushing my hair, do I look perfect?
I forgot what to do to fit the mold, yeah
The more I try the less is working, yeah yeah
‘Cause everything inside me screams
“No, no, no, no, no” (no, no, no, no, no)”
This song is a stunning reminder that no matter your body size, insecurities can persist. Changing your body and appearance in an effort to find acceptance is counterintuitive- real acceptance is unconditional. If you want to accept your body, it has to be done without trying to change it.
“I guess I’m hard to ignore
Pick up that jaw off the floor
So sue me
For looking too pretty tonight
Wearing your favorite color under the lights
For moving on, doing everything right
So sue me
For being good friends with your friends
And running into you the place that we met
For being something you can’t forget
So sue me”
This song isn’t technically about body image, but it IS about knowing your worth and knowing that a man who doesn’t see it isn’t worth your time. That’s self love to me.
“I love myself, I wanna see it
When I turn around, look in the mirror
And if you don’t like it, you can leave it
‘Cause it’s my own and I’ll keep owning it
If you don’t like what I’m wearing
Well, you’re only bothered ’cause you’re staring
And you’ll never talk me into caring
‘Cause it’s my own and I’ll keep owning it
Know that I’m not sorry, I’m just loving my body
I don’t care if you scared of a sweet little unforgettable thing“
This song is all about self love and owning who you are, exactly as you are. This belongs on any self love playlist as a reminder that you deserve to feel unforgettable.
“Do you ever feel like a misfit?
Everything inside you is dark and twisted
Oh, but it’s okay to be different
‘Cause baby, so am I (so am I, so am I, so am I)
Do you ever feel like an outcast?
You don’t have to fit into the format
Oh, but it’s okay to be different
‘Cause baby, so am I (so am I, so am I, so am I)”
This pop hit speaks to individuality and owning your imperfections. I love to think that there’s no “weird”, just different from me, and this song highlights that.
“Lies, lies, lies, overwhelmed inside
Haven’t loved myself for a minute
Try, try, try to be on my side
I’m my own worst enemy, admit it
I need to treat myself better
I really can be so unkind
I know that I deserve better
If only you could hear what goes on in my mind
I wouldn’t say the things I do to anybody else
So why’s it okay to say to myself?”
This song feels like a call to be gentler to yourself. Taking care of ourselves is hard, but it’s harder when you’re harsh on yourself. Treat yourself like you’re someone you love.
“All my life
I’ve been searching for truth
When all this time
It was all in me
Now I’m breathing
Breathing like I never did
And now I’m breathing
In the sky I have spread my wings
Seas I’ve sailed and ships I’ve sunk
Just to lead me right back at one
From my troubles, oh yes, I’ve run
With this burden now I am done”
This song speaks to realizing that everything you need is already within you. The truth you seek and the answers you need will present themselves in your journey when the time is right.
Takin’ a drive, I was an ideal
Looked so alive, turns out I’m not real
Just something you paid for
What was I made for?”
This Golden Globe award winning song from the Barbie movie is soft and sad, but ends on a hopeful note. To me, it’s about how women sometimes feel like our bodies are someone else’s property and our destinies are set by societal expectations.
“I can buy myself flowers
Write my name in the sand
Talk to myself for hours
Say things you don’t understand
I can take myself dancing
And I can hold my own hand
Yeah, I can love me better than you can”
This Grammy award winning hit has women everywhere celebrating independence, including me! Relationships with other people might end, but you’ll always have a relationship with yourself.
“I am woman, I am fearless
I am sexy, I’m divine
I’m unbeatable, I’m creative
Honey, you can get in line
I am feminine, I am masculine
I am anything I want”
Talk about self love affirmations! This song is a whole list of them and a great way to start any day where you might need a boost.
“Drawn out in Sharpie where I’d take the scissors
If that’s what it took for me to look in the mirror
I’ve done every diet to make me look thinner
So why do I still feel so goddamn inferior?”
This is a powerful song about what it’s like to be in a larger body, and while it isn’t so uplifting, it’s empowering to know you aren’t alone.
“One day when I woke up I fucking snapped, yay
Put on my Loubies and my mad hat
Can’t tell me nothing, I’m a big brat
Nowadays I say what can you do for me, do for me
I’m Cinderella and the shoe fit me, shoe fit me”
This song might not be for everyone, but it can be an empowering song to fuel a positive self love day. In my interpretation, Qveen Herby writes about waking up one day to own her quirks and individuality and the power that comes with truly being who you are.
“I wish somebody would’ve told me that thighs of thunder
Meant normal human thighs
The fuckin’ pressure I was under
To lose my appetite
And fight the cellulite with Hunger Games like every night”
This song took social media by storm and exposed the truth behind a brand that has set unrealistic body standards for over a decade.
“When they say, “She get it from her mama”
I’ma say, “You fuckin’ right”
Body rude, it’s unpolite
Done being the humble type”
This is another great song to fuel a good body image day. We can all use reminders that we’re THAT girl.
“People say I look happy
Just because I got skinny
But the old me is still me and maybe the real me
And I think she’s pretty”
Weight loss does not equal happiness. Weight loss does not equal worth. Billie Eilish explains this in the verse featured above, which is a message that many of her fans likely needed to hear.
“Why is it so hard to just be myself?
I feel like I’m different from everyone else
Yeah, why am I like this?
Can somebody please tell me?
I look in the mirror and what do I see?
I don’t really know who’s lookin’ back at me”
It feels like this song is an epiphany for Olivia, that trying to be someone else only takes you further from authenticity, and you can’t continue wishing you’re someone else forever. This song is great to commemorate a turning point in your self love journey.
“Lacy, oh, Lacy, skin like puff pastry
Aren’t you the sweetest thing on this side of hell?
Dear angel Lacy, eyes white as daisies
Did I ever tell you that I’m not doing well?
Smart sexy Lacy, I’m losing it lately
I feel your compliments like bullets on skin
Dazzling starlet, Bardot reincarnate
Well, aren’t you the greatest thing to ever exist?”
Have you ever wanted to be someone else? This song highlights Olivia’s comparison of “Lacy” who seems to have it all, and reminds me of times that I’ve carried jealousy of what others have, who they are, or what they look like. Once I learned to accept myself fully and authentically, I noticed these feelings no longer plague me. If you ever feel this way, I encourage you to trust in your own journey and trust in yourself.
“Bought a bunch of makeup, tryna cover up my face
I started to skip lunch, stopped eating cake on birthdays
Bought a new prescription to try and stay calm
‘Cause there’s always something missing
There’s always something in the mirror that I think looks wrong
When pretty isn’t pretty enough, what do you do?
And everybody’s keeping it up, so you think it’s you
I could change up my body and change up my face
I could try every lipstick in every shade
But I’d always feel the same
‘Cause pretty isn’t pretty enough anyway
You can win the battle, but you’ll never win the war
You fix the things you hated, and you’d still feel so insecure
And I try to ignore it, but it’s everything I see
It’s on the poster on the wall, it’s in the shitty magazines
It’s in my phone, it’s in my head, it’s in the boys I bring to bed“
I admire that this song acknowledges the endless battle that diet culture puts you through with the words “You fix the things you hated, and you’d still feel so insecure“. Diet culture likes to claim that if you just lose weight you’ll love yourself, but real loves comes from accepting your body as it is, no matter what. Changing yourself will never be enough.
“Stop playing with your body lady
Stop feeling like you’re not enough
Stop feeding into the haters
Stop and give yourself some love
Stop staring at the mirror getting faded
Saying you won’t fall in love
Stop trusting all these fake idiots
Trust me they don’t give a fuck
I tired of seeing it
I’m tired of feeling this
The world says beauty is changing
Fuck that, it’s fake expectation
Not the real shit
Let’s get naked
Start meditating
Feel elevated and say
I love my body
I love my skin
I am a goddess
I am a queen
I love my body
I love my skin
I am a goddess
I am a queen”
Talk about affirmations! This song has a beautiful list of affirmations as its chorus and can serve as a pick me up on any bad body image day.
“If I’m shinin’, everybody gonna shine (Yeah, I’m goals)
I was born like this, don’t even gotta try (Now you know)
I’m like chardonnay, get better over time (So you know)
Heard you say I’m not the baddest, bitch, you lie (Haha)”
This song is dripping in confidence and is sure to make you feel like the baddest alive, like it does for me.
“I still fall on my face sometimes and I
Can’t color inside the lines ’cause
I’m perfectly incomplete
I’m still working on my masterpiece and I
I wanna hang with the greatest gotta
Way to go, but it’s worth the wait, no
You haven’t seen the best of me”
Talk about self love and accepting your journey! This song is about loving yourself at every step of the way and acknowledging that no one is perfect, and you don’t have to be to be worthy.
“You can be amazing
You can turn a phrase into a weapon or a drug
You can be the outcast
Or be the backlash of somebody’s lack of love
Or you can start speaking up
Nothing’s gonna hurt you the way that words do
When they settle ‘neath your skin
Kept on the inside and no sunlight
Sometimes a shadow wins”
Empowering and upbeat, this song can provide the morale boost you need.
“She’s just a girl and she’s on fire
Hotter than a fantasy
Lonely like a highway
She’s livin’ in a world and it’s on fire
Filled with catastrophe
But she knows she can fly away
Looks like a girl, but she’s a flame
So bright, she can burn your eyes
Better look the other way
You can try, but you’ll never forget her name
She’s on top of the world
Hottest of the hottest girls, say”
Fun fact, this was deemed my song during yoga teacher training because I am admittedly, pretty fiery. This song makes me feel like I can do anything I set my mind to, and I hope it has the same impact on you.
“You should know I think you’re fuckin’ beautiful
All ya flaws are perfect
You should let ’em show
The things I love the most
I dunno what you see, but I see all of ya beautiful
You should know I think you’re fuckin’ beautiful
You da’ bomb
Don’t listen to the stupid hoes who try and bring you down
Jus’ say, “whateva'”
Keep flauntin’ fo’ all to see it“
Another song about accepting your imperfections and owning who you are. Can’t get enough of the positivity of these lyrics!
“Soften up the mess
Drop it in the water
Let the daughter find her image with the rest
She’ll be learnin’ how to breathe
Spinnin’ through identity
Reveal another pretty little scheme
Save her mind
Hold her hand
And don’t believe a lie
You understand me“
This one is personal for me- when I listen it feels like a big hug for my inner child. This song helps me soften and ground down. To me, it’s a reminder that I’m good enough and there is nothing to fix.
“From sprinkler splashes to fireplace ashes
I gave my blood, sweat, and tears for this
I hosted parties and starved my body
Like I’d be saved by a perfect kiss
The jokes weren’t funny, I took the money
My friends from home don’t know what to say
I looked around in a blood-soaked gown
And I saw something they can’t take away”
I find this song to be so empowering and a tale of self assuredness. It’s about learning, growing, realizing that what’s meant for you will be, and trusting in the universe.
I hope you loved this list of self love songs, I had the best time putting it together! Wherever you are on your self love/body image journey, there’s a song for it that can help you heal. If you’re looking for more body image support, check out the rest of my blog and my instagram page.
Leave a comment with your favorite self love song(s).
About The Author
Chelsea Shafer, RD, LD, RYT graduated from Purdue University in 2020 and completed the Wellness Workdays Dietetic Internship in 2022 where she specialized in sports nutrition and entrepreneurship. Chelsea is a proud Registered Dietitian who has helped over 300 clients live healthier, happier lives and accept their bodies. Currently, Chelsea is pursuing blogging, working as a registered dietitian at Happy Strong Healthy and teaching yoga at a local studio in Atlantic Beach, Florida.
Pingback: 10 Positive Affirmations for Body Image - The Flexible RD
Pingback: 12 Key Tips for Handling Bad Body Image Days - The Flexible RD
Pingback: Self Care Vision Board Guide - Self Care is Self Love - The Flexible RD
This list is actually AMAZING. Not the usual corny songs that come up. I have spent hours today looking up self love song lists and this one was totally IT! The songs are so genuine and creative and have all different artistic vibes. Can’t wait to sing along to the many that I saved. Thanks so
much!! ❤️🥰❤️