I sat down and took a look at the culprits in my iTunes collection and there was only one logical conclusion.

“I think we need some time apart.”

Handsome faces stared back at me, begging me to reconsider.

“It’s not that I don’t love these guys,” I thought. “But for once, I need to hear a voice that sounds like my own.”

So I came up with a challenge and convinced some girlfriends to join me: For the entire month of October, we’re going to put all the men in our musical lives aside and listen only to music made by women. For a lack of better alliteration, it’s Ovaries October.

There are a few rules to the challenge. For one, co-ed bands are acceptable so long as the women make an obvious contribution (i.e. sing or write). In essence, the women need to be noticeable, present and in the foreground — that one band with that one hot chick bassist doesn’t qualify. In true bra-waving, feminist fashion, if there’s only one girl, she needs an actual identity.  

Secondly, it’s totally acceptable to listen to men when you have no control over the music playing. So when you’re out in the club and sipping that bub and they aren’t playing Lady Gaga, but Usher — never fear. You haven’t lost yet.

Rules aside, now that we’re already a few days into the month, it’s all smooth sailing from here. I have 960 tracks (and counting) lumped into one giant Spotify playlist to share with the other challenge participants, and I’ve upped the estrogen on my iPod by removing the men and replacing them with my favorite ladies.

What I’ve learned so far: Ovaries October is harder for some musical tastes than others. I have one friend who’s already annoyed that she can’t listen to Lil B, and another who can’t listen to any of her favorite composers. For me, it’s surprisingly easy.

Almost immediately, Ovaries October made it apparent how many different female voices there are. The women on my playlist have different levels of power and control, different levels of sexuality and even different levels of talent.

There are the girl groups — The Ronettes, The Crystals, The Shangri-Las, to name a few — who were so obviously interchangeable puppets for the men, like Phil Spector, who produced their records. There are pop stars like Madonna and Britney Spears, who many would argue are just like the aforementioned girl groups, but who also use their sexuality as a statement of independence.

Then there are the straight-up rock ‘n’ roll heroes of the bunch: Joni Mitchell, Carole King, Patti Smith — true artists who’ve made timeless music that transcends their gender entirely. Take Mitchell. At first, she was the archetypal female folkie singer in the vein of Joan Baez, but she quickly picked up jazz influences which set her apart from other like-minded artists at the time. Bob Dylan is the only songwriter who compares.

Admittedly, I don’t really know quite yet what I’m trying to discover with this challenge, if anything. I guess I thought that if I only experienced music made by females, I might gain insight on femininity or life or whatever.

For now, it’s just been a treat to listen to some of the best music of all time. I encourage everyone to join me in this challenge, male or female, whatever your musical preferences. It doesn’t matter if you’re a latecomer — you can start Oct. 4 or Oct. 25, it doesn’t matter. Just take some time out of your life to appreciate performers who are often overlooked by their male counterparts. Just search “Ovaries October” on Spotify, subscribe to the playlist and add your favorites to the mix.

You’ll hear from me again at the end of the month once I’m ready to hear some lower octaves already.