Why Lizzo is My Positivity Icon
For those of you that have not yet had the opportunity to listen to music by Lizzo, she is an up and coming singer, rapper, and flutist. She has many popular hits, including “Juice”, “Truth Hurts”, and “Good as Hell”.
But Lizzo is not like other pop stars. Taking a look at many of today’s most successful female singers—like Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, or Ariana Grande— you might notice a trend. All seem to fit into today’s beauty standards, which, according to an article by CNN about body standards, are being slim but curvy, athletic but not too muscular, and so on.
Just looking at Lizzo, you automatically notice that she doesn’t fit into this standard. Lizzo is bigger than most of today’s female celebrities, but she is not ashamed of it. In fact, she embraces it. Many of her songs, such as “Tempo”, talk about her weight as a good thing. In fact, her instagram handle is @lizzobeeating (or “Lizzo Be Eating”).
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You may be concerned that Lizzo’s message is promoting being overweight. However, the opposite is true. Lizzo not only promotes healthy lifestyles but self love as well. Many girls across the world feel unhappy in their bodies, due to various reasons such as the media, but stars like Lizzo preach to girls to embrace what they have. Lizzo’s self love is incredibly infectious, and anyone who listens to her
music instantaneously feels good. In her song “Juice” she says, “Mirror, mirror on the wall, don’t say it cuz I know I’m cute.” It’s this type of self loving attitude that made me so drawn to her.
Lizzo always spreads messages of empowerment. I believe her song “Juice” encaptures her essence best. Not only is it an upbeat song that makes you want to jump up and dance, but it includes iconic lyrics, such as “If I'm shinin’, everybody gonna shine.” She stresses working together, and not pushing others down on your way to the top. The article “Lizzo is the Star We Need Right Now” from AfroPunk sums it up perfectly: “Every recording artist wants to be worshipped at some point, eventually they shoot a video where they’re seated on a throne; but Lizzo’s majesty makes us all feel like royalty.”
And of course, one major reason Lizzo differentiates from other artists is her incredible ability to play the flute. According to an interview she did with NPR, Lizzo was in marching band from middle school through college. As a flute-playing band nerd myself, I was shocked to see a mainstream artist represent my instrument. My initial shock turned to interest, and it didn’t take long for me to fall head over heels for her. Lizzo features her flute playing in many tracks, such as her song “Coconut Oil”. She is also well known for playing the flute while dancing during live shows, which is something entirely new to the entertainment industry, but I am here for!
Lizzo is my role model. She shows the world that “beautiful” comes in countless shapes and sizes. Her loud and energetic personality translates into her music, making anyone listening smile. Her messages of self love, confidence, and empowerment are inspiring. And of course, she represents all of us band nerds out there.
