How people view their bodies is a deeply personal and complicated process that is ever-changing. Depending on external and internal influences, people can often find themselves viewing their own or other peoples bodies very differently. Some of these external influences that can both negatively and positively impact our perception of our body, are the media and popular culture’s promotion of music that specifically involve lyrics depicting body image. These song lyrics can be tremendously uplifting and have a positive effect on the listener’s relationship with his or her body. Famous artist ‘Lizzo’ is an example of a successful black musician who is not afraid to promote body positivity; regardless of what size you are in her songs and real life. In one of her songs titled “Scuse Me,” she sings, “Mirror, mirror on the wall, tell me what you see /It’s that, oh my God, it’s lookin’ heavenly” (Hurtado, 2019). Regarding her stance on promoting inclusivity for women, Lizzo said, “I wanted to speak to everyone who looked like me and went through the same things I did.” This message of not only accepting your body no matter what size you are or how conventionally attractive you are but pushing everyone to celebrate themselves just the way they are is extremely powerful and beneficial. 

Cardi B is an example of another artist promoting body positivity. This is evidenced by the fact that she actively speaks out against body and slut-shaming. This is seen in a tweet responding to conservative pundit, Stephanie Hamill, who questions how she can be empowering women. Cardi B says that she aims to show women that they can wear what they want, act how they want and that no means no regardless of how they are dressed. She openly posts “unflattering” photos of herself without any editing and is open about her plastic surgery. She also talks against slut-shaming and double standards about breast size. According to Insider, Cardi B told VladTV, “I don’t understand it when a girl that has a small chest has her little nipples out, don’t have a bra, I don’t know, it’s ‘tasteful.’ It’s ‘fashion.’ But when a girl like me that has bigger boobs [does the same thing], it’s like, ‘Oh, you slut! What the hell.’ It’s like, what is the difference?” These celebrities are essential role models whether they are aware of it or not, as they can change the way people view their bodies. 

The conversation around body image can be heavily impacted by the messages prominent voices send out. Lizzo and Cardi B can be referenced for the population to have someone have examples of loving their body regardless of the unrealistic and sometimes harmful standards that are in place. They promote an acceptance of plus size women, therefore breaking barriers of plus size women in mainstream media. Lizzo said, “I wanted to speak to everyone who looked like me and went through the same things I did.” These are women who are tired of seeing women trying to live up to the unrealistic expectations the media puts on them. The aspiration to be a stereotypical female. These artists are breaking these stereotypes and promoting body positivity and female empowerment. Lizzo said “I can’t wake up one day and not be black. I can’t wake up one day and not be a woman. I can’t wake up one day and not be fat.”

They work to teach women about self love and self care want women to embrace and love their own sexuality. She said, “When I am assertive, I’m a bitch. When a man is assertive, he’s a boss” She points out these stereotypes. Women are often portrayed in the media as submissive or feminine. Nicki Manaj is reclaiming her sexual agency and disrupting gender norms. In her music video, “Only, 2014,” Nicki Minaj raps about and shows off her curvy body. Drake’s verse is almost entirely focused on the sex appeal of women with curvy bodies. The video does a better job than the song at flipping the gender roles. Nicki Manaj is shown with enslaved males and is mostly pictured above the males in the video. Hopefully with more and more female artists embracing their sexuality, it will prompt other women to embrace their own sexuality and make it acceptable to do so.

How people view their bodies is a deeply personal and complicated process that is ever-changing. Depending on external and internal influences, people can often find themselves viewing their own or other peoples bodies very differently. Some of these external influences that can both negatively and positively impact our perception of our body, are the media and popular culture’s promotion of music that specifically involve lyrics depicting body image. These song lyrics can be tremendously uplifting and have a positive effect on the listener’s relationship with his or her body. Famous artist ‘Lizzo’ is an example of a successful black musician who is not afraid to promote body positivity; regardless of what size you are in her songs and real life. In one of her songs titled “Scuse Me,” she sings, “Mirror, mirror on the wall, tell me what you see /It’s that, oh my God, it’s lookin’ heavenly” (Hurtado, 2019). Regarding her stance on promoting inclusivity for women, Lizzo said, “I wanted to speak to everyone who looked like me and went through the same things I did.” This message of not only accepting your body no matter what size you are or how conventionally attractive you are but pushing everyone to celebrate themselves just the way they are is extremely powerful and beneficial.

Cardi B is an example of another artist promoting body positivity. This is evidenced by the fact that she actively speaks out against body and slut-shaming. This is seen in a tweet responding to conservative pundit, Stephanie Hamill, who questions how she can be empowering women. Cardi B says that she aims to show women that they can wear what they want, act how they want and that no means no regardless of how they are dressed. She openly posts “unflattering” photos of herself without any editing and is open about her plastic surgery. She also talks against slut-shaming and double standards about breast size. According to Insider, Cardi B told VladTV, “I don’t understand it when a girl that has a small chest has her little nipples out, don’t have a bra, I don’t know, it’s ‘tasteful.’ It’s ‘fashion.’ But when a girl like me that has bigger boobs [does the same thing], it’s like, ‘Oh, you slut! What the hell.’ It’s like, what is the difference?” These celebrities are essential role models whether they are aware of it or not, as they can change the way people view their bodies. The conversation around body image can be heavily impacted by the messages prominent voices send out. Lizzo and Cardi B can be referenced for the population to have someone have examples of loving their body regardless of the unrealistic and sometimes harmful standards that are in place. They promote an acceptance of plus size women, therefore breaking barriers of plus size women in mainstream media. Lizzo said, “I wanted to speak to everyone who looked like me and went through the same things I did.”

These are women who are tired of seeing women trying to live up to the unrealistic expectations the media puts on them. The aspiration to be a stereotypical female. These artists are breaking these stereotypes and promoting body positivity and female empowerment. Lizzo said “I can’t wake up one day and not be black. I can’t wake up one day and not be a woman. I can’t wake up one day and not be fat.” They work to teach women about self love and self care want women to embrace and love their own sexuality. She said, “When I am assertive, I’m a bitch. When a man is assertive, he’s a boss” She points out these stereotypes. Women are often portrayed in the media as submissive or feminine. Nicki Manaj is reclaiming her sexual agency and disrupting gender norms. In her music video, “Only, 2014,” Nicki Minaj raps about and shows off her curvy body. Drake’s verse is almost entirely focused on the sex appeal of women with curvy bodies. The video does a better job than the song at flipping the gender roles. Nicki Manaj is shown with enslaved males and is mostly pictured above the males in the video. Hopefully with more and more female artists embracing their sexuality, it will prompt other women to embrace their own sexuality and make it acceptable to do so. 

This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.

You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.

Why do this?

• Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog?
• Because it will help you focus you own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.

The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.

To help you get started, here are a few questions:

• Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal?
• What topics do you think you’ll write about?
• Who would you love to connect with via your blog?
• If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?

You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.

Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.

When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too.