Lizzo arrives for the 62nd annual Grammy Awards held at Staples Center in Los Angeles on Sunday, January 26, 2020.

Lizzo On Creating Her Own Beauty Standard: 'I'm A Body Icon'

Home / Stars / Lizzo On Creating Her Own Beauty Standard: 'I'm A Body Icon'

By Alisan Duran on March 2, 2022 at 12:00 PM PST

Lizzo is redefining unrealistic beauty standards.

The rapper, born Melissa Viviane Jefferson, 33, got candid about her body and how she's creating her own beauty standard on a cover story of People's Women Changing the World Issue.

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Blasting Body Shamers

Lizzo leaves little to the imagination in a apos barely there apos outfit while leaving Cardi B apos s Birthday party
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Lizzo has gotten plenty of rude comments about her appearance on social media, and she's not tolerating it.

Since her debut, Lizzo has earned three Grammys, two Soul Train Awards, and millions of fans. As her fame shot up, her body became a topic of conversation.

"Okay, we all know I'm fat. I know I'm fat," she said. "It doesn't bother me. I like being fat, and I'm beautiful and I'm healthy. So can we move on?"

The "Truth Hurts" hitmaker also named the stereotypes women like her face: "The funny, fat friend. I played that trope in high school. Or the friend who is gonna beat your a-- 'cause she's big. Or it's the big girl who's insecure 'cause she's big," Lizzo noted. "I don't think I'm the only kind of fat girl there is. I want us to be freed from that box we've been put in."

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Not Bothered By Trolls

Lizzo pointed out that she "worked hard," and she deserves "the spotlight."

"I deserve the attention. I'm talented, I'm young, I'm hot. You know?" the Houston native said.

"I think I have a really hot body! I'm a body icon, and I'm embracing that more and more every day," she continued.

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Creating Her Own Body Standard

Lizzo at GQ's 2018 All-Stars Celebration
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Lizzo then used a famous personality as an example.

"It may not be one person's ideal body type just like, say, Kim Kardashian might not be someone's ideal, but she's a body icon and has created a modern-day beauty standard," she said. "And what I'm doing is stepping into my confidence and my power to create my own beauty standard. And one day that will just be the standard."

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Lizzo On Doubting Her Self

While she's very proud of her achievements, Lizzo admitted she was cynical at first.

"I was like, 'OK, what can I do with this? How can I make the best of this? I wasn't supposed to survive," she said. "I wasn't supposed to make it this far. I wasn't supposed to be a millionaire. I wasn't supposed to be a sex symbol. I wasn't supposed to be on the cover of People, but I am. So how can I make this worthwhile? How can I make this not just a flash in the pan?'"

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The 40th BRIT Awards show at The O2 Arena in London. 18 Feb 2020 Pictured: The 40th BRIT Awards show Tuesday 18th February at The O2 Arena in London. lizzo. Photo credit: Mirrorpix / MEGA TheMegaAgency.com +1 888 505 6342 (Mega Agency TagID: MEGA612607_014.jpg) [Photo via Mega Agency]
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In August, Lizzo talked about body image on Apple Music's "The Zane Lowe Show."

"I feel like [being] fat is the worst thing people can say about me at this point. This is the biggest insecurity," she explained. "It's like, 'How dare a pop star be fat?' I had to own that."

Lizzo added, "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."

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