Musics final single" and called it that compilation's least dynamic offering, giving a C− rating. Eric Henderson, from the same magazine, wrote that "occasionally, and only occasionally, Madonna’s reach exceeds her grasp. “What It Feels Like for a Girl” is one of those cases. Its intentions feel more fully fleshed out in the controversial music video than they do in the song itself". Nathan Smith from Houston Press opined it was "one of the realest and most mature vocal performances of her career as she gently explores the double standard faced by ambitious women". From Gay Star News, Joe Morgan called it a "clear reminder that Madonna can write some incredible lyrics". Writing for Entertainment Weekly, journalist David Browne relegated the track as "an older, wiser 'Into the Groove'", highlighting its "softly padding beat and genuinely empathetic lyrics". Q magazines Danny Eccleston picked it as a standout track, claiming it had "the vaguest melodic echo of Basement Jaxx's terrific 'On & On'". Cynthia Funchs of PopMatters picked the song as her favorite on the album, calling it "outstanding" with "sweet, enchanted beats". Eamon Sweeney of Hot Press, found it similar, in tone and texture, to Natalie Imbruglia's 1998 single "Smoke". Jon Pareles of The New York Times called it "Madonna's quasi-feminist statement". Rolling Stones Barry Walters called it "as musically gentle as it is lyrically barbed". Garry Mulholland of The Guardian, praised its "melancholy 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", while panning its remix version for "reduc[ing] the song to a mindless trickle of beats without any hints of the verses". Alex Pappademas from Spin, pointed out that the song "flaunts the sexiest synth shimmer this side of [Aguilera's] 'Genie in a Bottle'". The Village Voices Phil Dellio found the song to be "the perfect answer record to [the novel] The Virgin Suicides (where boys indeed