Lizzo is perhaps best known for her powerful voice, amazing flute skills, and her body positivity, but the singer recently revealed that she hasn’t always been this confident. In her newly released TED Talk, the 33-year-old went into great depth about how the popularization of twerking helped her learn to love herself.
“If you follow me on social media before you’ve probably seen my heinie before,” the “Juice” singer said with a laugh at the start of her speech.
“I used to hate my ass, believe it or not. I have my father’s shape and my mother’s thighs, so it’s big, and long. I used to think that only asses like J.Lo’s or Beyoncé’s could be famous. I never thought that could happen to me.”
Lizzo then went on to explain that in the era she grew up in, women did not celebrate having a bountiful behind – in fact, they were ashamed of it, which is the exact opposite of how many people feel about large butts nowadays.
As she continued talking, the Detroit-born star revealed that, “though the movement of twerking, I realized that my ass is my greatest asset.”
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to my TED Twerk,” she joked.
Lizzo first learned the art of twerking herself at a Houston club, and shortly after, she began digging into the history behind the provocative dance move.
“I twerk because I’m talented. Because I’m sexual, but not to be sexualized. I twerk to own my power, to reclaim my Blackness, my culture. I twerk for fat, Black women because being fat and Black is a beautiful thing.”
During her search, the singer realized that twerking draws tons of inspiration from West African dances like Mapouka. “Everything that Black people create, from fashion to music to the way we talk, is co-opted and appropriated by pop culture,” she said.
Watch Lizzo’s full TED Talk for yourself in the clip below.
[Via]