One day my sister approached me and said, “You have to listen to this new song!” I immediately went to my Apple Music downloaded the song Good As Hell, and since that day, I have fallen in love with Lizzo.
The 2019 Times Entertainer of the Year has been breaking barriers since her 2017 song "Truth Hurts" became a smash hit last year. Since then, Lizzo has been showing the world "I was born like this and I don't even gotta try." Just like her music, Lizzo has been teaching women to be who they are without any apologies. From her smash hit to her other popular songs, including my personal favorite "Juice" and "Tempo," Lizzo instructs the necessary doing of self-care and self-love.
Lizzo has been working on music for about 10 years before she became a well-known artist. “As a black woman, I make music for people, from an experience that is from a black woman,” the singer says. “I’m making music that hopefully makes other people feel good and helps me discover self-love. That message I want to go directly to black women, big black women, black trans women. Period.”
& that’s exactly what she does.
Lizzo's fearlessness and unapologetic attitude reminds me why we need someone like her in our life. To not only tell us that women are bosses but to remind us that we look damn good while doing it. The 31 year-old-singer said in a Times article, “There were a lot of things that weren’t popular but existed, like body positivity, which at first was a form of protest for fat bodies and black women and has now become a trendy, commercialized thing." Now I’ve seen it reach the mainstream. Suddenly I’m mainstream.”
The breakthrough of Lizzo teaches us to not fit into the social norm. Make the social norm fit you. I used to drive myself crazy, trying to keep up with the latest trends (If I'm honest, I still do sometimes). I was eager to feel the satisfaction of attention from society. I wanted to be cool, to be liked, so I put myself in situations where I wasn’t me or happy. It was exhausting. Continuously searching for recognition to make myself feel accepted or apart of something.
Honestly, it's scary. To be vulnerable, open, or just being yourself. I was in constant fear of being rejected and bullied by a society that will do it anyway. I always remind myself that I am enough, and it’s okay that I have to sometimes. Which is why I love listening to Lizzo’s music.
"Yeah, I got boy problems that's the human in me. Bling-bling then I solve 'em, that's the goddess in me"
Lizzo reminds me to be the person that I was born to be. To dominant in every aspect of your life no matter the size of your body or the color of your skin.
But this post isn’t meant to be sappy. It’s intended to be inspiring and uplifting. Through the turmoil that Lizzo has faced since the controversial outfit she wore to the Lakers game back in December, she still chooses to be proud of who she is. She feels powerful even when it might seem as though she could be at her lowest.
As women, we are often told what to say or how to look. Most of our conversations are about men, kids, marriage, on-going discussions about what society tells us we should be. Lizzo is telling the world who she is.
Whether it’s at a basketball game with her buns out or on stage at an award show twerking while playing the flute, Lizzo is our cheerleader. A voice to the people who feel like they don’t belong because they don’t fit the standard.
To the people who think that we aren’t good enough tell them… I’m 100% that bitch!