LIZZO OPENS UP ABOUT BEING ‘FIRST BIG BLACK WOMAN’ ON VOGUE MAGAZINE COVER

«The first Black anything feels overdue,» said Lizzo.

By Rachel George and Jacqueline Laurean Yates via GMA

Lizzo looks stunning on the October cover of Vogue magazine.

The multi-Grammy-winning artist took to Instagram to share a few photos from her cover shoot, photographed by music video director and producer Hype Williams.

«I am the first big Black woman on the cover of @voguemagazine. The first Black anything feels overdue. But our time has come,» Lizzo wrote. «To all my Black girls, if someone like you hasn’t done it yet — BE THE FIRST. Thank you, Anna Wintour & Sergio Kletnoy.»

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I am the first big black woman on the cover of @voguemagazine. The first black anything feels overdue. But our time has come. To all my black girls, if someone like you hasn’t done it yet— BE THE FIRST. Shot by: @hypewilliams Story by: Claudia Rankine. Thank you Anna Wintour & @sergiokletnoy.

A post shared by Lizzo (@lizzobeeating) on Sep 24, 2020 at 9:36am PDT

For the interview, Lizzo sat down with esteemed poet and playwright Claudia Rankine to discuss the «commercialized» problem with body positivity.

«Now, you look at the hashtag #bodypositive, and you see smaller-framed girls, curvier girls. [Lots] of white girls,» Lizzo said. «And I feel no way about that because inclusivity is what my message is always about. I’m glad that this conversation is being included in the mainstream narrative.

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“Having a Black woman as vice president would be great,” Lizzo says, “because I’m just always rooting for Black people. But I want actual change to happen…in the laws. And not just on the outside, you know? Not a temporary fix to a deep-rooted, systemic issue. A lot of times I feel like we get distracted by the veneer of things. If things appear to be better, but they’re not actually better, we lose our sense of protest.” She makes sure to mention Breonna Taylor and Sandra Bland and all the women who, inadvertently or not, often get dropped from the conversation: “We need to talk about the women.” – @voguemagazine story by Claudia Rankine. Link in bio.

A post shared by Lizzo (@lizzobeeating) on Sep 24, 2020 at 9:53am PDT

The «Truth Hurts» singer said she doesn’t like the idea that «the people this term was created for are not benefiting from it.»

«Girls with back fat, girls with bellies that hang, girls with thighs that aren’t separated, that overlap. Girls with stretch marks,» she continued. «You know, girls who are in the 18-plus club. They need to be benefiting from . . . the mainstream effect of body positivity now. But with everything that goes mainstream, it gets changed. It gets — you know, it gets made acceptable.»

At this point, Lizzo says, «I would like to be body-normative» instead of body-positive to normalize other body types. «I want to normalize my body. And not just be like, ‘Ooh, look at this cool movement. Being fat is body positive.’ No, being fat is normal,» adds Lizzo.

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‘Early in her career, Lizzo says, she was told by music-industry executives, “You can’t go white to Black. But you can go from Black to white.” Her response: “‘Well, I’m a Black woman. So I can do just about anything I want to do.’ How dare these people sit up and tell me who my music is going to appeal to or not?”… “When I go hiking or whatever,” Lizzo tells me, “it’s Black girls being like, ‘I like your music.’ ‘Hey, that’s Lizzo.’” These Black fans confirm for Lizzo what she already knows, that she’s “a Black woman making music from a Black experience”—and that her message can speak to anyone.’ – @voguemagazine story by Claudia Rankine. Link in bio.

A post shared by Lizzo (@lizzobeeating) on Sep 24, 2020 at 10:14am PDT

The singer went on to discuss how early in her career music industry executives told her she couldn’t go from «white to Black.» «But you can go from white to Black.»

Lizzo responded saying, “‘Well, I’m a Black woman. So I can do just about anything I want to do.’ How dare these people sit up and tell me who my music is going to appeal to or not?”