Debbie Harry was tired of R&B songs depicting girls "victimised by love".
The Blondie singer is famed for pioneering a punk-influenced idea of feminism and empowerment, giving people sexual confidence through her own music – which see saw as a welcome break from the portrayal of women in other genres.
She told the Sunday Times newspaper’s Style magazine: "That was one of the things that was really clear. I think I can take credit for having clarity about that.
"I was dead sick and tired of all of these songs by the R&B girls, the trios and stuff. They were all victimised by love. I was sick of it. I didn’t want to portray myself or women as victims."
Leading a generation may not have been the punk icon’s intention – she admitted to not having the "clarity" for such a defined purpose – and while she can be credited with forcing a chance in attitude, she feels her involvement was partly down to circumstance rather than destiny.
She added: "I don’t think I tried to be an important feminist, I didn’t have that kind of clarity, but I had a stubbornness and an independence and that came across.
"So that was good. I think that it was an idea that was bound to happen, I was just in the right place at the right time."