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 atmosphere and ambiguous air". Also from "The Guardian", Maddy Costa thought that the track was "exquisite", adding "on 'What It Feels Like for a Girl' you feel is the Madonna of old, talking about being a pop bitch and making you tingle even with its hackneyed lyrics". Writing for "Billboard", Larry Flick hailed it "a hook-laden midtempo jam [...] that should give the Britney/Christina generation of teenage female listeners a little food for thought", highlighting its "motherly, nurturing perspective". Also from "Billboard", Chuck Taylor named it "one of the more substantive – and mature – musical ventures of [Madonna's] career",