As we know, there is not a whole lot of talk about being plus-size in this world. And when we do talk about being plus-size, it’s often met with hate and disgust. Our society is built on fatphobia, a system of oppression that promotes hate towards fat people and feeds off a real fear of fatness. Diet culture and the belief that appearance and body shape is the most important factor of a person’s well-being is at the root of fatphobia. Even more so, medical fatphobia is a widespread phenomenon, discouraging and preventing fat people from accessing healthcare – and often, blaming a fat person’s weight for their problems. It is harder to find clothes that fit and brands that go past a size XL. It’s challenging to exist in a society that does not think about your body.
My entire life, fat people have been talked about as undesirable, unhealthy and should “lose weight” – and growing up with some extra chub has always been hard. Especially when I gained a bit of weight, and my jean size went from a size 12 to a size 16 – I felt horrible about myself. I felt unattractive and like I did not deserve to feel beautiful. When I gained this weight, I decided to follow a bunch of plus-size fashion influencers on TikTok and Instagram, and just so happened to stumble upon Lizzo’s TikTok page. Of course, I knew of her music and have always been a fan, but watching her on TikTok and how she is as a person, made me feel so good about my body and myself.
I recently saw her in Toronto at Scotiabank Arena, and I can honestly say it was one of the most amazing and empowering nights of my life. She sang her big hits, “About Damn Time,” “Truth Hurts,” “Good As Hell,” and “Am I Ready (2 Be Loved),” while also playing her iconic flute. But what felt most amazing to me was being around women (and men) who had similar bodies like me. That night, I realized Lizzo taught me a lot as a plus-size girl and many like me.
- She taught us self-love.
I remember when I was a 12-year-old girl in 2013 on Tumblr. It was at its peak thigh-gap era, which had become associated with anorexia and a desire to be thin, which only glorified eating disorders. Or, going into the grocery store with my mom and seeing magazines with covers promoting diets that help women lose 30 pounds in less than a week or ads on the television promoting vitamins and supplements that will help you rid of body fat just like that. It was a challenge growing up plus-size in a world that was anti-fat. For years, we have looked up to celebrities that have the ‘perfect’ features; from hourglass figures to porcelain-like skin.
But, Lizzo has spent her career reclaiming terms like ‘plus-size’ and ‘fat’ and has truly changed her life and the lives of others. She is over the “fat girl” stereotypes and embraces curves and bodies of all sizes. “I don’t think I’m the only kind of fat girl there is. I want us to be free from the box that we’ve been put in,” Lizzo said in an interview with Bet. From singing and rapping to making TikToks about what she eats in a day, Lizzo has celebrated natural beauty and her self-care and self-love journey, giving us no doubt that she is a true advocate for body positivity. “I’m doing this for myself. I love creating shapes with my body and I love normalizing the dimples in my butt or the lumps in my thighs or my back fat and my stretch marks. I love normalizing my black-a** elbows. I think it’s beautiful,” she told Essence. And she DID that. She is changing the way the world sees beauty because for so long, we have lived in a world that has been against fat people and plus-size bodies. For too long we have lived in a world where the beauty ideal is synonymous with being skinny. “[I] may not be one person’s ideal body type just like Kim Kardashian might not be someone’s ideal, but she’s a body icon and has created a modern-day beauty standard. And what I’m doing is stepping into my confidence and power to create my own beauty standard. And one day that will just be the standard.” She has taught me to love my stomach the way it is, pooch and all – and to let loose and stop sucking it in to appear skinnier. Because I am desirable. I am sexy. I am beautiful.
- She taught us to live our authentic selves.
Since her emergence, Lizzo has not been afraid to be her authentic self and has even made it clear that self-love is the most important thing, continuing to urge everyone to embrace everything about themselves. In March of 2022, Lizzo was the speaker at SXSW in Houston, Texas, and used her platform to speak out in support of those who had faced bullying their entire lives about the size or colour of their skin, and has provided us with solace in knowing we are not alone. And it is not just her love to fight for those who have been wronged, but she is also living her authentic self in real-time – and we get to see it. Whether it’s on her social media or how she acts on stage whilst she performs, she reveals the goofy side, the sex-symbol Lizzo, the fed-up version of herself, the superstar she is, and so much more: she does not place herself in a box and encourages us to do the same.
In an interview with Glamour, she opened up about the standards in Hollywood and the beauty industry, and says “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,” – and it’s amazing and empowering seeing Lizzo exist in a space as herself and not try to conform.
- She has taught us to ignore the hate and haters.
Now, we all know Lizzo has ensured a lot of hate in the industry. For instance, in 2021, with the release of her song Rumors, featuring Cardi B, Lizzo addressed the negativity coming toward her saying it’s fatphobic and racist. “When we don’t fit into the box that you want to put us in, you just unleash hatred onto us. It’s not cool. I’m doing this s*** for the big Black women in the future who just want to live their lives without being scrutinized or put into boxes,” Lizzo said in an Instagram live. Cardi B also took to Twitter to stand up for Lizzo by writing, “Whether you skinny, big, plastic, they going to always try to put their insecurities on you.” But, in light of this, Lizzo continues to not let the haters bring her down.
Another incident took place earlier this year where Aries Spears’ decided to speak out on how he feels about how Lizzo looks, suggesting that she looks awful. But Lizzo handled this with class as she accepted her award at the 2022 VMA’s, saying, “I’m not going to say anything… Cause I’m winning.” She even sent out a tweet remarking that “Dudes be ugly w no b****** talking about “oK Lizzo” as an insult in girls comments… I’m beautiful rich & get immaculate d***… ISSA COMPLIMENT If u can’t make it past the cheeks just say that.” Lizzo continuously shuts down the haters and hopes the confidence she has will help women, especially Black women, face less criticism in the future. All in all, in the words of Lizzo, it’s about damn time to clap back on the hate against Black women and fat women.
- She has taught us to work hard, play harder.
It has taken Lizzo almost a decade to become as big as she is now. She dropped out of college during her junior year and had to live in her car, which made her feel like she did not have a purpose. But, Lizzo is not alone, as almost 40 per cent of students drop out of postsecondary school in the United States alone. Throughout her career, she has been bullied for dressing up like her favourite anime characters and expressing herself through fashion, but one of the most important lessons that Lizzo has taught us is to never take yourself too seriously. She reminds us to have some fun because this life is short, and you cannot spend all the time in the world hating yourself and your body.
So many celebrities have become huge and take on a lot of work and pressures that come from it, which can lead to hating your job and being miserable in your career. Yet Lizzo is the complete opposite. Whether she is at the MET gala, making TikToks, promoting her brand Yitty, or twerking across that stage, she radiates joy. And you can feel it. And this is perhaps why so many women, no matter their race, size, or ethnic background, have felt such a deep admiration for her: including me. Seeing Lizzo love herself out loud with so much delight and still making her mental and physical health her number one priority makes us look at ourselves and ask: why aren’t we giving ourselves permission to do the same? She has taught us when life gets you down and you’re “tired of the bull****, dust your shoulders off, keep it moving.”
- She has taught us how to be a bad b—, no matter the size of our body.
Not everyone has the confidence or swag that Lizzo has. Breaking the internet for showing off her curves, being a fashion icon, and being an all-around badass. She is not only a Grammy Winner, but has won two Soul Train Music Awards, a BMA award, a BET award, a Video Music Award, and an Emmy in just three years – and that’s not even all of her awards and accomplishments. When she enters a room, she does not go unnoticed or stopped. Her infectious laugh, her witty comments, and her sense of humour keeps everyone laughing; and that’s the positivity that radiates throughout her music and deep into her fans. What’s most important for me is that I can make it no matter what society says about my body – as long as I don’t let it get me down.
When I saw her live in Toronto a few weeks back, her show encompasses all the positivity in a form of activism itself. Lizzo wanted us to feel empowered and understand the issues in her community. Lizzo focuses on issues in her life through her music, making her one of the most relatable rising artists. Any Black woman in the music world are often met with hate and comparison among one another, and it is impossible to not face hurdles. “I think I represent something very possible. Fans are like, “Oh, I can do that,” in the same way that Missy Elliot represented possibilities for me when I was growing up, and I think the industry is afraid of it, because once everybody feels comfortable with themselves, then they’re not going to buy into stuff no more,” she once said.
Lizzo’s commitment to keeping on fighting and being herself is such an act of resistance and a sign that things are slowly changing in our society. And Lizzo has, quite frankly, played a huge role in raising my confidence within myself, and many other plus-size bodies simply for being herself.
Now in the famous words of Lizzo, “Big b****** winning, h**! The best revenge is your paper, b****!”