What It Feels Like for a Girl "turning the tables of violence back on the men for whom such behavior is considered "normal" and putting them on the receiving end of violence, a position usually reserved for women". They noticed that unlike previous Madonna videos which were banned for religious themes or sexuality, MTV found violence as an offence. Even using the remix in the clip changed the song's feminine and bittersweet nature to something faster and harder, adjectives usually reserved for boys. The authors concluded that as always, Madonna inverted the traditional roles and characterization of male and female in the clip. "What It Feels Like
What It Feels Like for a Girl and released it. Thuderpuss tried to convince the record label executives but failed and the remix was canceled. Upon release, the song received general acclaim from music critics. Rikky Rooksby wrote in his book, "The Complete Guide to the Music of Madonna", that "What It Feels Like for a Girl" was the best track on "Music". Author Lucy O'Brien described the song as having a "beautifully executed sense of anger" in her biography, "". Likening it to Madonna's 1989 single "Express Yourself", O'Brien called it a "femme-pop" song. AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine picked it as one of the album's highlights,