You can always count on Lizzo to emphasize the importance of self-love and body positivity.
But in a recent interview with Apple Music's Zane Lowe, the singer-songwriter and rapper opened up about how the journey toward accepting herself and owning her body was less than easy.
The 33-year-old, who just released her first single in two years with none other than Cardi B, said she never had "the luxury of hiding behind anything" as a plus-size woman.
"I feel like fat is the worst thing people can say about me at this point," the "Rumors" singer shared. "This is the biggest insecurity. It's like, 'How dare a pop star be fat?' I had to own that."
She also stated that mainstream culture prizes thin bodies and explained what constitutes a socially acceptable pop star: "I feel like other people who were put on that pedestal, or who become pop stars, probably have other insecurities or have other flaws, but they can hide it behind a veneer of being sexy and being marketable."
And when it comes to the influence of her lyricism, she didn't expect it to bolster a body-positive movement. "I was watching a commercial, and it was these big girls in it, and it had nothing to do with being big. And I was like, 'Did I do that?'"
But Lizzo explained that there's still a divide between mainstream culture and the societal structures that uphold narrow beauty standards that prioritize thinness and whiteness: "The infrastructure has not changed as much."
"There's still so many people who suffer from being marginalized systemically," she said. "Meanwhile, there's a plus-size Black girl at the Grammys. But plus-size Black women are still not getting the treatment they deserve in hospitals and from doctors and at work."
Simply put, Lizzo added, "We got a long way to go."
