She's complicated. She doesn't like your girlfriend. She keeps holding on. It's Avril Lavigne. She first stole our hearts in 2002, and has continued to do so over the course of many years. She had the cool, punk style many people aspired to have, with her loose ties, studded bracelets, and baggy pants. But most importantly, she had some very iconic, and inspiring songs. Through her music, she gave hope to couples who were struggling, and she helped those who just came out of relationships regain their confidence. I am going to share how Avril Lavigne has helped to inspire me and many others throughout her career.

She tells us not to judge a book by its cover.

In one of my all-time favorite Avril Lavigne songs,"Sk8r Boi", she sings, "There is more that meets the eye, I see the soul that is inside." For anyone unfamiliar with "Sk8r Boi" by Avril Lavigne, the song is about a girl who would not admit she liked the "skater boy" because she did not feel he was good enough for her, but then he goes on to be a famous music artist and Avril Lavigne is saying "Look, I loved him even though he was a skater boy." Avril Lavigne is telling us not to judge a book by its cover. She knows people can be more than they appear to be in the beginning, and luckily, wrote an entire song just to teach us that and to help us all become better people.

She gives us hope.

If I feel hopeless and need something to pick me up off of my feet, I know I can count on "Keep Holding On" to help me out. This is probably Avril Lavigne's most inspirational song. In her lyrics, she is clearly speaking to someone who has already lost or is losing all hope. To whoever Avril Lavigne is speaking to through this song, she wants them to know she is there for them and to not give up because everything will work out in the end. This song offers hope to those who need it, and inspires all of us to be the ones who are there when others need more than just an Avril Lavigne song to help them get through the day.

She tells us to live a carefree life.

Avril Lavigne has always seemed to promote living a carefree life without directly stating it. But in 2011, she could not have been more direct in her song "What The Hell." Lavigne sings, "All my life I've been good, but now, what the hell?" She does not want to live her life following orders and doing everything everyone wants her to do. Everyone can learn from her how to be a stronger, more confident, and carefree person. She teaches us to do whatever we want to do, because why not? Avril Lavigne is living a carefree life, and her song has inspired me and hopefully many others to do the same.

She tells us to be ourselves.

Last but not least, "Complicated" was the song that made Avril Lavigne the musical icon we know her to be today. The song is great to listen to, and has an important meaning. In the 2002 hit, she sings, "I see the way you're acting like you're somebody else gets me frustrated." She is singing about how hurtful it is when you know who someone really is, especially when you are in a romantic relationship with them, to see them acting like a completely different person when they are around other people, rather than the person you know and love them as. She is advocating the importance of being yourself around everyone you know or meet. Thinking you know who someone is, and then seeing them act completely different, really is complicated.

There are not many music artists who provide as much inspiration as Avril Lavigne. Her music works to change our outlook on life, and to help us get through breakups and other bad times in our lives. Her music is important during many stages of life, by telling us to live carefree lives, or to accept everyone. She has created iconic songs that have the potential to subconsciously change the way we think about ourselves, others, and the world around us. Avril Lavigne will forever be one of the most inspirational pop-music icons of the 21st century.