At the risk of sounding like a millennial hipster, I’ve been listening to Kate Nash for about 10 years. Someone in my college introduced me to her album Made of Bricks and I’ve been listening to her ever since.
Her new EP Agenda is out, and she’s going on a 10-year anniversary tour for Made of Bricks. Oh, and she also stars as Rhonda aka Britannica on the hit Netflix show GLOW. She’s been my role model for the past 10 years. And here’s a few reasons why she should be your role model too.
1: She’s my kind-of feminist.
Specifically meaning that she’s not fallen into the pitfalls of white feminism. She embraces all the intersectionality that feminism should be. And she embraces the sisterhood of feminism, of women, and calls out toxic masculinity when she sees it. See boys, she’s looking out for you too! Then again, the LGTBQ+ community already knew that.
Read any of her interviews about GLOW. In each one she talks about the 13 other women who were on set and how they supported one another. No cattiness, no feuds, none of the drama often placed upon groups of women. And Nash isn’t just blowing smoke. She’s been spouting her love of the sisterhood for years now. She has an all-girl rock band (more on that later), and a podcast dedicated to intersectional feminism.
2: Her music is my diary.
Kate Nash and I are only a few years apart in age. So it often feels like her experiences and songs are a correlation through my life. Made of Bricks was cheeky and sarcastic at a time when I was finding my own voice. Listen to “Nicest Thing” and then try to tell me you’ve never felt those exact same feelings. No, Kate Nash, you’re so nice!
My Best Friend is You is about breakup and infidelity and it hit me right when a boy cheated on me. Girl Talk came out when I needed a loud, proud sisterhood and I got it from Kate Nash. And Agenda is following in that same vein. I’ll prep for the next Women’s March listening to it.
P. S. Anyone who liked Rhonda’s GLOW Rap from “A Live Audience” needs to listen to “Don’t You Want To Share The Guilt” off My Best Friend Is You or “Agenda,” the title track off her new EP.
P. P. S. My Best Friend is You is not only my favorite Kate Nash album, it’s in my top 5 Desert Island album list. You know, the Top 5 you take to a desert island because people love these ridiculous types of lists? British music critics will state that album was the beginning of her sinking into obscurity. I would argue that’s it’s the beginning of something amazing.
3: She embraces her body and sexuality in GLOW that is empowering.
Kate Nash has been pretty vocal about her health, and how she’s changed from a 19 year old pop star into a healthy 30 actor/singer. She was publicly called fat, ugly, and acne-ridden before she could legally drink in the US. Now she’s spoken out regarding her treatment and she’s inspiring young women to love their bodies.
In GLOW, Nash plays Brittanica. She’s a British bombshell with an open sexuality. Some people might want to judge her, as Rhonda is not so bright, wears the skimpiest of leotards, and has no problem playing the role of a promiscuous school girl both in and out of the ring.
Except the beauty of Rhonda, and of Nash’s portrayal, is that she does everything using her own agency. Rhonda chooses who she sleeps with, who she turns down, and how she shows her body. If only all women could have the confidence of Rhonda and Kate Nash!
If you haven’t look at Kate Nash’s Instagram, do yourself a favor and follow her. She’s got a killer fashion sense. Again, confidence!
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