Lizzo Is Fat and Loves Herself—So What's the Big Deal?

Radical love is an affirmation of life that radiates outwardly as joy and compassion for yourself and your community. For Issue 16, GARAGE profiled an eclectic group of artists, designers, and everyday citizens who have it in spades. Photographed by Robert Nethery. Sittings editor Gabriella Karefa-Johnson.

If I’m shinin’, everybody gonna shine / Yeah, I’m goals, Lizzo sings on her newest track, “Juice,” released at the beginning of January. The line is a handy thesis for much of Lizzo’s upbeat, affirmational brand of hip-hop, which concerns itself with body positivity, self-love, and the importance of, well, feeling yourself. Her studio albums have quickly become required listening for any pre-party playlist worth its salt, and her live shows have the atmosphere of a grown-up pajama party, with people of all shapes, sizes, colors, and ages letting loose to her infectious beats. When it comes to the topic of self-love, Lizzo is committed to normalizing the concept: “Loving yourself should be natural, it shouldn’t be radical. I don’t think anything I’m doing is radical, I’m just myself. Because I’m black, fat, and a woman, it seems more radical than it actually is, but I love myself just as much as some old rich white men do—it’s just not as socially acceptable.”

For more on GARAGE's Radical Love portfolio, click here.