Lana Del Rey is an American alternative singer whom many young girls look up to, her music has a way of entrancing you and pulling you deeper and deeper in storylines you couldn’t even imagine yourself being placed in. From go-go dancing on tables to wandering the streets at night with no place to go, her smooth and unique voice is nothing compared to the meanings of her songs. Her debut album (which has since been removed from all streaming services) was a cry towards her abuse not only as a young woman in the music industry but also as a young woman in America. From an early age, the singer has been groomed and preyed upon, as many other young women have. While listening to her songs they transform into a safe space for the humiliating experiences. Her music is more than its lyrics and instruments, it’s a connection.

Lana has also become a critique of hebephilia, many people claim the singer’s early songs and albums are potentially dangerous to girls who may idolize and follow her lead, although this point of criticism is valid it’s also flawed. Allowing girls to listen to melancholy songs on how painful it is to be used by older men in such ways doesn’t entice them rather alerts them of the dangers of being romanticized and preyed upon. We should view her music as a warning to a lifelong struggle with these painful, however, unfortunately, common experiences.

The singer’s growth is also immensely impressive not only as a victim but as a person. Her albums all show the ups and downs of sexual assault, drug addiction, and the PTSD behind it all. In her most recent album Blue Banisters, she allows us the privilege of having an inside look at her emotions, the lows exhibited in Dealer, and the highs through Arcadia. Although sometimes problematic, Lana Del Rey never fails to be progressive in bringing light to stories of pain in a way so beautiful it cannot be replicated. “He hit me and it felt like a kiss” a line from Ultraviolence shows the mindset behind domestic abuse and opens the understanding to those who have never been in such a horrible situation, and for those who have it allows relation and connection from the isolation of abuse. In a society where women are criticized for how they handle their trauma Lana del Rey’s music is a world away from all the judgment and blame of toxic, abusive, and violating relationships.