When it comes to standards, Lizzo says f*ck em, especially the ones that are only applied to certain groups of people. After slaying every damn award show performance she touches, the 31-year-old songstress has received standing ovations from the likes of iconic superstars like Queen Latifah, Rihanna, and Missy Elliott, encouraging us all to twerk ourselves into body positivity, but her blessings didn't come without being burdened by a lot of bullsh*t.
In a recent interview with Glamour, the singer shared that she is tired AF of people calling her brave because she has the courage to love herself in public. She explained:
"When people look at my body and be like, 'Oh my God, she's so brave,' it's like, 'No, I'm not. I'm just fine. I'm just me. I'm just sexy. If you saw Anne Hathaway in a bikini on a billboard, you wouldn't call her brave. I just think there's a double standard when it comes to women."
For years, the industry has had a one-dimensional perspective on beauty that isn't privy to the women that look like us, but this Detroit-born diva is here to give the entertainment industry the facelift it's been needing. Lizzo is living proof that the industry has no choice but to catch up to the fact that we no longer give a sh*t about the standard. Being thin is not a pre-requisite to loving yourself, and Lizzo says that's the reason she was recently picked for Absolut's new Juice campaign:
"The creative had the big girls in it. It was juicy, like me, and fun, like me. For someone like me to get a campaign with Absolut and to be wearing a bikini and to be jumping around and dancing and having fun—Absolut saw me on Instagram, saw how I like to dress, saw how I liked to party with my girls, and they came up with that creative."
With the confidence of 1,000 Beyonces, this singer says that she doesn't choose to love herself because it's cool, it's because she actually does. According to Lizzo, self-love isn't just a trend that should be awarded in public, issa necessity that she values in private. She told The Hollywood Reporter:
"Loving who you are should start in the buff. You should essentially, by the end of your self-love journey, be completely in love with who you are with no makeup, no extra hair, no styling, no corsetry. That's my opinion for my life — I don't think anybody should have to subscribe to that. But I feel like if I can love that person, then anything else is possible within the spectrum of self-love. My skin, my face, no makeup — that's fine."
As women in the digital age, we have been awarded a major advantage. Unlike the women who came before us, who were limited by Western ideals and unrealistic expectations, we get to be whoever TF we want, and if Lizzo wants to be a p*ssy poppin', Patron-drinking, flute-playing goddess, who is anyone to tell her that she can't? While she's still working on ditching her wigs and opting for a natural look, Lizzo is steadfast on her journey to feeling "Good As Hell" in her own skin.
"Nudity is something that I've explored, and it's exciting for me. The final frontier for me is the wigs and the weaves — my natural hair, my natural state truly. I'm working on it. It's a struggle. We're not there yet. There's no top of the mountain for self-love. It's a journey that continues forever, so I think it's a part of it. You gotta love that part. That's the juiciest part of you, though."
No matter how much juice you have in your cup, Lizzo is a firm reminder that you not a snack at all, look baby, you the whole damn meal; as soon as you realize that, it's over for self-doubt and loving yourself will seem less daunting and more necessary.
Featured image via Giphy