I can remember the first time I heard “Truth Hurts.” It
was being played on the radio hundreds of times and, because of that, I feel
like it’d be difficult to find someone who hasn’t heard it. Even if someone hasn’t
heard the song, they definitely know Lizzo. While “Truth Hearts” came out in 2017,
Lizzo’s meteoric rise to fame happened in 2019, when she was named Entertainer
of the Year by Time Magazine and the BBC went so far as to say she
defined 2019. On top of this, Lizzo ended up becoming the Grammy’s most-nominated
artist the year after. How did someone gain this level of recognition so
quickly? I’ll give you a hint, it’s more than just the music.
Her first globally popular album “Cuz I love you” peaked on the top five of the US Billboard 200 and her previous hits “Truth Hurts” and “Good as Hell” put Lizzo on the map to show the power of music in spreading messages and fostering global change.
“I just took a DNA test, turns out I’m 100% that bitch.” If you had to explain that lyric in one phrase it would be self-confidence. Lizzo has grown to be an international sensation by finding deeply rooted problems within our current-day society and spreading awareness and love. For Lizzo, this problem is body image within and without the music industry.
Views of body image espoused by Hollywood are of extreme importance because of its far-reaching influence on television, music, and social media. Before Lizzo, and for most of my elementary school and middle school life, stars would joke about bigger artists and most people would sweep these jokes under the rug or not acknowledge it. Even when Hollywood began its “body-positivity” campaigns, these were led by people who would still be socially seen as on the skinnier side.
Lizzo’s entrance onto the global stage was done with
many commenting on her weight, her state of health, etc. Instead of letting
that go to her head and abandoning the industry, Lizzo faced her haters head-on
to create music that exudes inclusivity. In doing so, she has shown the beauty
of body inclusivity and acts as a role model for millions around the world,
including me.
While many call Lizzo “body-positive,” she has noted that, for her, the term is rather lazy. She instead wants to be body normative. To make people’s bodies normal. She says she calls herself fat. When her friends tell her to not say that she responds, “why I am fat and I am beautiful.” Her body-normative outlook makes it so that she fosters change in those who are unable to shed the pounds, and in those who are happy as they are.
Her body-normative stance further emphasizes her views on self-love. My favorite Lizzo song is "Soulmate." In this song, she talks about how she has learned to appreciate the beauty that is in the mirror and love herself. Lyrics like "I'm a mary me one day," or "True love happens when you're by yourself" focus on the idea of finding your inner soulmate being more important than the romantic search for someone who completes you.
Now you read this blog and think, what's creative about that? She sings songs about self-love, a lot of people have done that. What makes Lizzo creative is her ability to transmit that self-love through her music utilizing lyrics, choreography, and fashion. It is also in her ability to take words like fat, which have been used for hate and wear them on her sleeve. Through and through Lizzo has proven to the world that love is not only for the skinny white rich people in Hollywood. Finding self-love should be a struggle, there will be days when you don't love yourself. What is important is that everyone realizes the beauty within themselves because they can be their own soulmate.
Sources:
https://www.mlive.com/life/2020/01/detroits-lizzo-wins-3-grammy-awards-performs-and-pays-tribute-to-kobe-bryant.html
https://www.vogue.com/article/lizzo-october-cover-story-body-positivity-inclusivity
https://parade.com/933452/alexandra-hurtado/lizzo-faced-poverty-homelessness-and-self-doubt-to-become-a-master-of-music-and-self-love-youre-not-supposed-to-be-happy-all-the-time/
I really love and appreciate the content of this post. Especially in the modern world when mental health is such a significant issue, having celebrities such as Lizzo embrace messages such as self-love and a positive body-image is so important, and the way she goes about it truly is creative.
ReplyDeleteFull disclosure: I was resistant against hopping on the Lizzo train at first, since she was gaining such massive popularity in such a short amount of time. However, as I have gained more and more exposure of not only her work, but also of who she is as a person, I am full invested in her success! The thing I admire most about her is her fearlessness. She really does not have a care in the world about people's perceptions of her- rather, her main focus is on promoting things like mental health and the pursuit of success and self- betterment. That is definitely a mentality I aspire to put into practice myself. Plus, her music is awesome, of course.
ReplyDeleteA few years back I listened to Lizzo’s interview with Terry Gross on NPR; she is not only an incredibly talented musician but also a deeply interesting person to listen to. In that interview she pushed back on Gross’s assumption that she was “trying to break the mold of what beautiful is.” Lizzo’s response was “Yeah, but are you only saying that because I'm fat? You know what I'm saying? Because I feel like if I were a thin woman, maybe that wouldn't be the case [...] And I think if I were slimmer, I don't think people would look to me with the same type of like, oh, wow; she's so brave; she's doing this and representing everyone - that they would - you know I'm saying? - because I'm big."
ReplyDeleteI was so struck by that interview that it has stayed in the back of my mind since.
Frankie, I love this post! I have always loved Lizzo, if for nothing more than her catchy tunes. Multiple songs of hers are on my "men ain't sh*t" playlist, because, for lack of a better term, she makes me feel like 100% that b*tch. Her reinvention of the body positive movement into the body normative one is creativity in itself (conceptual change, anyone?), and the fact that she is able to project that into her own creative outlets of music and even Tiktoks is proof that creativity is everywhere! Thanks for sharing; we could all use a little more self-love and a little more Lizzo in our lives :)
ReplyDeleteI love Lizzo's music, and very much appreciate the message she is seeking to send with her music. This article perfectly describes how Lizzo utilized "problem solving" -- the ability to hit upon a problem (lack of acceptance for fat/overweight people) and create music that addressed that problem. I struggle with body image just as many other people do, and Lizzo's music has always given me a feeling of power that I can tell is intentional. I would love to know more about Lizzo's background, and what made her capable of tapping into such fervent self love. Was there a mentor figure who encouraged her to stand up for herself? Was this largely intrinsic and simply her reaction to the way she was treated in the music industry early on?
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