Born Melissa Viviane Jefferson, Lizzo is a Grammy-winning singer, rapper and songwriter who has been a popular face of the international body positivity movement. As a large Black woman, Lizzo has always been proud of her figure and never shied away from flaunting it on album covers and on stage.
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While she has lost significant weight of late and has been sharing her fitness journey on social media, she continues to be an advocate for body positivity and self-confidence. As a celebrity of her stature, Lizzo is not immune to controversies. However, the power of her voice in promoting self-acceptance and self-love among fans simply cannot be denied.
Lizzo celebrates her birthday on April 27 every year. To commemorate the day, today’s quote is her statement: “Sometimes the label ‘unapologetic’ bothers me because it can be loaded, because it means we have to apologise for something in the first place.”
What is the meaning of Lizzo’s quote?
The quote from Lizzo is taken from her interview with Essence back in 2020. A fast-rising star at the time, she stated that being proud of her physique is not just activism for her; it is a part of who she is.
Lizzo did not want herself to be tagged as “unapologetic” when it came to accepting herself as she is, as she felt that there was nothing to be sorry about in the first place. As a large, Black woman, the star was no stranger to bullies. It is her complete acceptance of herself that allowed her to rise above the mean-spirited, negative noise surrounding her and to make her place in the world.
She noted in the same interview, “I’m not ignorant of the fact that we had to have a demeanour of lowering ourselves culturally just to exist. But I’m trying to shake up the narrative about how we’re supposed to act.”
The quote reminds us that sometimes the terms that we use for empowerment bind us to the very thing from which we seek freedom in the first place. It also highlights that self-acceptance of merit and worth is a prerequisite for rising up against social prejudices.
Why is Lizzo’s quote relevant today?
The idea of self-acceptance never loses its relevance. Rather, it becomes increasingly important for individuals to remember it while living in a world where the two most popular forms of media content are promotion and propaganda: messages that seek to make the receivers yearn for a particular curated type of life, which is often a far cry from their own.
Being unapologetic about oneself allows an individual to navigate this world with confidence and face challenges head-on without being held back by baseless criticisms.
