“There’s a plus-sized 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, you know what I mean?” she said
Lizzo has always been candid about spreading body positivity.
In an interview with Apple Music on Friday about her song “Rumors” with Cardi B, Lizzo, 33, opened up about the realities of being in the public eye — and that she’s never had “the luxury of hiding behind anything.”
“I feel like fat is the worst thing people can say about me at this point. This is the biggest insecurity. It’s like, ‘How dare a pop star be fat?’ I had to own that,” Lizzo said.
“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,” she continued.
Lizzo also recalled her early days of songwriting — and her lyrics being written about being “in love with myself.”
“I was like, you know what? I’ve never heard anyone say that in a song so I’m going to say it. And I did it just kind of off the cuff, silly, funny, but I didn’t realize it would start this whole thing,” she said.
Nonetheless, it wasn’t long before she realized her role in the self-love 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, did I do that?” she said.
However, the singer emphasized that though music has a large influence on mainstream culture, “the infrastructure has not changed as much.”
“There’s still so many people who suffer from being marginalized systemically. Meanwhile, there’s a plus-sized 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, you know what I mean?” she added. “We got a long way to go.”
Lizzo teamed up with Cardi B and released “Rumors” on Friday — her first single in two years.
“There was no one else for it,” she said about working with Cardi B. “There was literally no one else. From the day the ink dried on her Atlantic contract, I said, ‘Please get me on a song with Cardi B.’ She’s just funny. I like funny people and she can rap. You know what I’m saying? Seriously be rapping.”
“Cardi B is the ultimate. She, to me, has always done it right. Everything that she said, every way that she’s reacted because you know why? It’s because she was true to herself the whole time. She’s a groundbreaker,” Lizzo added. “You can’t deny her ability. She’s a superstar. She has changed the game forever for a lot of us, a lot of women. I don’t even think she realizes she’s doing it because it’s just like, I’m trying to just be successful. I’m trying to get this money. I want to live a happy life. She just follows her heart. That’s what I love about her.”