I'm crying Cuz I love you (and you helped me love myself)

“Why are men great until they gotta be great?”

Have truer words ever been spoken when you’re in the midst of a breakup? I remember watching the movie, Someone Great, when I first heard the aptly named, "Truth Hurts" song by Lizzo. The iconic scene is depicted below, yet, little did I know the larger role Lizzo would play in my life.

I was in good company because soon after, this song blew up and rightly so. I immediately bought her album and listened to the whole thing on repeat. Each song had a contagious melody and better yet, her strong voice sang about feeling good in your own skin. As I walked to work, I unabashedly shimmied to Lizzo crooning in my ears.

I was living in a different country, truly alone for the first time and it was a time where I needed to hear what Lizzo was saying. I was in Australia and by divine fortune Lizzo took her tour through the country. I was thrilled I would get to see her. She delivered on her performances and did the cool artist thing, playing impromptu shows to surprised and delighted crowds. Yet, what really captured my attention was her altruistic acts.

While we were both down under, Australia was being devastated by bushfires. It was so bad that the air was choked with smoke and burnt leaves littered the beaches. The fire took the lives of at least 24 people and the toll it took on Australia’s wildlife ranged to more than a billion deaths.

While other artists on tour fled affected areas, Lizzo stayed. Not only did she stay, she put her money where her gorgeous mouth was and spent her days off in between shows to help out where she could. She volunteered at a food bank in Victoria. She also used her social media platforms to raise awareness and urged people around the world to donate to Australian relief efforts.

If that weren’t enough, she also met members of The Drum's Real Youth Music Studios (RYMS) while in Melbourne. The RYMS is a music program by The Drum Yarra. The Drum provides intentional and creative programs meant to engage the youth of the community. Lizzo chose a small setting to get to know these young musicians. You can see her getting close, chatting, singing, and dancing with everyone. Her smile was as infectious as ever.

When the Global Pandemic hit, I was back stateside and locked in quarantine. Like many others, I sought refuge from the world’s problems by downloading the TikTok app. As the algorithm read me like a book, I was delighted that it accurately directed me to Lizzo’s page. Here I found yet another facet of her beautiful soul, this time as a content creator. Up until this point I flourished dancing to her songs of self love, had been touched by her humanitarian efforts during a disaster, and now I was being moved by her body positivity content. When I was at my most uncomfortable weight at the peak of quarantine, I was really down on myself. My self-esteem was tanked, which I felt guilty for caring about considering the state of the world.

On June 9th, 2020 Lizzo released a TikTok video entitled “If you’re not a fat shamer… keep scrolling…” In the video, she talks about how she’s been working out for the last five years. She goes on to explain that she does this not to achieve society’s ideal body type, but to achieve HER ideal body type. “And do you know what type that is? None of your fucking business.”

This. Shook. Me. Here Lizzo was again, picking me up through another medium when I was at my lowest. I can’t adequately describe the way I felt when I heard her say that. It was like a dam broke and something in me just clicked into place. She continued to say, “I am strong. I am beautiful,” and I latched onto this idea of being kind to oneself. To work out in order to move your body and feel good, as opposed to working out because you feel ashamed.

I was not alone. Her video reached millions, tallying 17.5 million views. Being her unapologetically lovely self, taking it a step further. She ends the video by telling body shamers that next time they think about shaming someone’s appearance, that they should worry about "their own damn body" and "health is not just determined on what you look like on the outside. Health is also what happens on the inside. And a lot of y'all need to do a fucking cleanse for your insides.”

Regardless of what she is creating, Lizzo is a source of light in the darkness. She is a powerhouse of talent, passion, and compassion. Ultimately, she's right- she’s not a snack, she's the whole damn meal.