Lizzo Reveals She Thought She Wasn't 'Desirable' And Felt 'Ashamed' About Her Body
Lizzo has opened up about the insecurities she used to battle as she was growing up and trying to make it in the music industry.
The singer, whose real name is Melissa Viviane Jefferson, disclosed to Elle UK about how she felt she wasn't 'desirable' compared to her industry counterparts.
But, she has been able to overcome those doubts and hopes to usher in a new era of all types of women being idolised.
“I know people want to look like me now. But I’m talking about what it was like in my formative years. I wasn’t really set up to believe that I was desirable," she told Elle UK.
“For me, being a pop star – part of it is people either want to be you or be with you.
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"And I didn’t feel like I had any of those qualities.”
Lizzo said those insecurities were so bad that she wanted to have other people on the stage with her so that the focus wasn't always directed at her.
She admits she used to feel 'ashamed' about her body.
"I always felt like, even if the song is great, people wouldn’t want to hear it coming from me," she said.
"So I thought, if I have other people on stage, too, that will take the focus off me a little bit.”
She hopes to bring visibility to people who might not look like runway models and is calling on the fashion industry to make sure people of all shapes and sizes can fit into their clothes.
Lizzo said it's been an honour for brands and labels to custom-make outfits for her from scratch, but she's just one person.
“What about the millions of people who are my size or bigger who can’t get access to chic and glamorous clothing?" she asked.
"I don’t want to be the token big girl for the fashion world. I want to open the door. I want this for everybody.”
She's spoken about how she has an amazing team who keep her grounded.
In an interview with Breakfast Club Power 105.1 FM, hosted by DJ Envy, Charlamagne Tha God and Angel Yee, Lizzo said: "I have the most genuine people around me.
"They don't give a s**t about 'Lizzo' with the chain on.
"They care about 'Melissa', and everyone I'm close with has known me before all of this happened and I think that's important."
Stewart Perrie