Wrapped in Balenciaga’s yellow warning tape that Kim Kardashian wore during Paris Fashion Week in March, Lizzo’s latest cover shoot dominates the social media feeds.
And, like Kardashian, who was seen in videos robotically roaming around in the luxurious outfit, the Elle UK September cover star had similar issues, posting a behind-the-scenes video of her trying to do the viral TikTok dance to her hit song. “About Damn Time” with the smallest micro-movements.
“I’M A RIDICULOUS PEOPLE… JUST STREAM ‘OVER DAMN TIME’ AND ASK NO QUESTIONS,” Lizzo wrote in the Instagram post. Her new album “Special” – her fourth studio album – was released on July 15.
Lizzo on the cover of Elle UK. Credit: AB+DM/Elle UK
In the cover story, photographed by Ahmad Barber and Donte Maurice of AB+DM, Lizzo told how long it took her to feel comfortable as a dark-skinned, larger-sized entertainer. She pointed out that artists like Missy Elliot and Queen Latifah were “the exception to the rule” when she was younger.
“By doing the fake it till you make it method, I started to attract a lot of people who thought I was beautiful… You start to attract people who see you as you see yourself,” she added.
Despite the moves toward size inclusiveness in fashion in recent years, Lizzo said fashion labels will often have to make her outfits “from scratch” for her shoots. Saying she’s grateful, she asks, “What about the millions of people my size or larger who don’t have access to chic and glamorous clothes?”
“I don’t want to be the symbolic big girl of the fashion world,” she continued. “I want to open the door. I want this for everyone.”
She told Elle UK that she had recorded ‘Special’ during the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic, and that she wanted to make an album ‘that people can use as a soundtrack to survive’.
“I don’t want to be the symbolic big girl of the fashion world,” said Lizzo. Credit: AB+DM/Elle UK
“All these incredible songs give people the language to express themselves and get a release after all they’ve been through,” she said.
But the album also marks a turning point for her where she feels more comfortable with her own achievements.
“I was ashamed for years. It took me a lot of work to feel worthy to be in this place. To feel worthy to be a force to be reckoned with,” she said.
She added: “It’s a very peaceful place for me to be now because I feel like all my projects before that were not looking for fame, but to tell my story, find my voice and then, ultimately, helping people.”
