Lizzo’s newest music video is so moving. The Minneapolis based rapper’s next album, Big GRRRL Small World is all set to come out Dec 11, which is basically like tomorrow. Regardless, I’m sitting here toe-tapping, thumb twiddling, and trying really hard to play it cool before the bomb drops.
Everything this woman does is heartfelt and real, which neatly falls under my definition of femme badassery. I’d definitely say that the lady is warrior princess material, and in the video for My Skin, she glows.
She released the video in wake of the murder of Jamar Clark, a 24 year old who was shot by the Minneapolis police on November 15. Black Lives Matter activists of the Twin Cities spent 18 days camping outside of the police precinct in protest of the fatal shooting. As the cities are Lizzo’s home turf, she articulated the song’s relationship to the realities of Black lives in America.
“Skin does not change,” she writes. “It is our permanent marker in this life; a calling card to ethnic pride. I was appraised and judged based on the color of my skin.” Lizzo describes the tension in her city throughout the protests in lucid prose. “People were mourning and crying; the pain of losing someone coupled with the pain of thousands of slain black men and women hung like a heavy mist in my neighborhood.”
Self love is transformative. I’m so appreciative that Lizzo’s shared hers with us in this video–accepting who you are, flaws and all, is a radical act. And it’s true: that kind of empowerment doesn’t happen in a vacuum.
“I performed in this video being fully aware of the consequences…This video will be seen, scrutinized, laughed at, hated, loved, but most importantly, appreciated,” the Facebook post reads.
She’s right. The honesty and authenticity it takes to care for yourself is directly related to the political and economic structures under which we live. The bravery of sharing your truth is a subversive and subtle dismantling of the unfeeling, oppressive landscape of our present moment.
“My afro-hair, fat, muscle, bone and melanin are not a punchline–I was born in it and I will proudly wake up in it everyday,” Lizzo wrote.
I’m all about this shit. We were honored that Lizzo performed at our issue release party yesterday, where she quite literally dazzled (also, her skin was coated with glitter).”I could tell it was her,” said several people of Lizzo–she’s got a magic and a presence that everyone can feel. When she performed this song, I was shaken. Lizzo is someone I look up to a lot, and I’m glad to share a universe with her. You can watch the video here:
