Black female singer Lizzo (Lizzo), debuted for 7 years, over 30 years old to become popular, in the European and American entertainment industry is definitely a late success, and her success is largely thanks to the influence of the "body confidence" movement.
In the highly competitive showbiz industry, talent is not enough, it needs to be distinctive and discovered. As one of the most "heavyweight" female American pop singers, Lizzo has been regarded as representative and typical.
Weighing 308 pounds (280 pounds), Lizzo often posts cool photos on social media, and this confident and self-loving performance has caused a lot of complaining. Many netizens said that this "hot eye" photo is advocating unhealthy diet and lifestyle, and even rationalizing the diseases that obesity may cause.
So what is body positivity? Chinese, which is also translated as body self-love and physical positivity, is a positive term relative to body shaming. Refers to the subjective acceptance of a series of appearances such as self-shape and size without caring about the aesthetics of the public.
In layman's terms, it is to go your own way and let others say go. Not swayed by worldly vision, reduce people's anxiety about body shape.
Lizzo, who appeared in Rihanna's latest advertising film, has shot covers for many magazines, and she is a strong advocate of self-confidence, so she has a lot of say in this topic.
In the recent October issue of Vogue, Lizzo boldly debunked the lie of "body confidence", saying that now the word has been commercialized, and merchants have whitewashed their brand image, making money in disguise, and brainwashing with new aesthetics.
Lizzo makes a lot of sense, and many merchants are paying more and more attention to the so-called size diversity. When shooting advertising campaigns, models of different skin tones and sizes are invited, and if they are ideologically conscious enough, one or two Asian faces are installed.
Well-known fast-selling brands such as vero-moda, ASOS, and h&m have developed plus-size women's clothing to meet market demand.
In addition to giving plus-size girls more clothing options, has the mainstream aesthetic really changed? I'm afraid not. From the original thin for beauty, it has been advocated to another embrace curve "fat for beauty" extreme. With the careful wording, it has become today's body confidence.
Lizzo said in an interview that what he has always emphasized is inclusiveness. The statement of body confidence itself is a bit lazy, and it is more accurate to say that it is "physical norms".
Whether it's meat on your back, fat legs, or a small belly, it's all part of your body. As a neutral word, the body is not self-confident or inferior.
Ring fat swallow thin, all normal!
As Lizzo says, we are being brainwashed by a new aesthetic. The mainstream media pretends to be self-confident with a diversity built on traditional aesthetics and a range of acceptable ranges. Look at the European and American entertainment news, the screen collision Kardashian will know, this new aesthetic is about equal to curved beauty.
When fitness and self-discipline (or even wealth) are equated, when the fashion industry prohibits models from being too thin, curvy beauty becomes the new favorite. The so-called plus-size models who preach the freedom of size are not overweight and ordinary people, but tall and curvy beauties.
For example, Ashley Graham, known as the first plus-size supermodel, manages her body no less than other "skinny" models. You can't get fat, you can't get thinner, maintain your weight while also exercising, so that the lines are beautiful.
Ashley Graham's appearance on the cover of swimwear magazine was indeed a historic moment, but it wasn't the right way to open it to convey "body confidence." This is still a manifestation of the old aesthetic, pandering to the masses and eager for recognition.
The reason why girls like or envy her is that her face is beautiful, her lower abdomen is flat, where she should be fat, where she should be thin, where she should be thin.
Looking at the cover of the magazine where Lizzo talked about the topic of body confidence, he was thinned several times, and his complexion was delicate and shiny. It's a bit ironic.
The transition from slender to curved has not achieved the goal of body confidence, but has made thin girls a vulnerable group with a new aesthetic, and even have a reverse body humiliation trend.
And on the surface, it seems to be an acceptance of pluralism, but it is actually a kind of self-hypnosis. The mainstream media only gives the public limited options, have you ever seen a skinny and over 200-pound cover model? If you've seen it, much?
Particularly thin (skin and bone) is equal to unhealthy, incorrect, even if there are people who do not eat fat, the mainstream media will not vigorously publicize. There are more than 200 pounds, and the Size of the United States is probably more than 20 yards, and it is difficult to speak for itself because of the lack of "beauty". Fat, which has nowhere to go, obscures the curves and does not conform to the new aesthetic.
Interestingly, when the body confidence movement was first launched in 2012, it was the oversized girl's desire to be respected and accepted. However, when the third wave hits, the oversized girl is still struggling, and this movement has quietly changed its flavor.
To give two examples of the reaction of public aesthetic influence and body confidence.
The first one is Megan. Trina, with a song "all about that bass" became popular all over the country, debut is the peak. At that time, it was a period of budding and awakening of the consciousness of plus-size girls, whether it was a retro style or Megan's slightly fat cute figure was very pleasing.
However, due to the bowing to the traditional public aesthetic, Megan was quickly pasted after losing weight, and was expelled from the Fat Girls Club, and the "crime" was sentenced to the organization.
When Megan sneaks back to the curvy beauty and tries to cater to the public aesthetic again, the audience has stopped buying it. Even if the cooperation is on the front line and the song rhythm is ear-catching, it is difficult to reproduce the glory.
The second example is Adele, who has not been encouraged and praised for sweaty fitness girls, which is obviously the reaction of body confidence exercise.
Weight loss means submission to traditional aesthetics, to some extent representing vulnerability and inferiority, and what is obviously a good thing has become a wrong thing. And Adele just wants to show off the results of slimming, braided is said to be "cultural appropriation", fat Dumb has never felt so much "malice".
From the two examples of Megan and Adele, it is not difficult to find that the so-called "body confidence" has become a single line where thin people can become fat, and fat people cannot become thin, which is contrary to the free core.
And why did Adele lose weight? Because you can wear more beautiful dresses because you become beautiful. The deep-rooted "thin for beauty" and the "non-cooperation" of fashion women's clothing make the body confident and sport really have a long way to go.
Just as Hollywood movies began to increase the proportion of black actors, merchants increasing plus size and models of different skin tones is the trend, but also for the sake of a higher brand image. Lizzo said that these are just face projects, and the daily life situation of ordinary plus-size girls has not improved. There is also the rise and pursuit of the BM style (super small size women's clothing), which shows that the new and old aesthetics are fighting.
In my opinion, Adele's weight loss is a personal decision and should not be morally kidnapped. The so-called body confidence is a kind of physical freedom, there is no need to engage in extremes. And now the concept is narrowly defined, focusing only on size and skin tone. It was originally a great love theme that included skin problems such as obesity lines, and even physical defects. It is a recognition of the self, and a critique of the mainstream aesthetic.
Of course, this movement also has "blind spots", that is, medium-sized women and male compatriots. The medium body is in an embarrassing situation, and there is no star spokesperson. You can only choose to lose weight yourself, or eat fat to join the Fat Girls Club.
Given that the public is more demanding on women's figures, body confidence activities seem to automatically exclude men. For men, it's not just fat and thin, it's also about being tall and short. In fact, some male compatriots are also groups that need care and encouragement.
I like a passage from Lizzo's interview: Change can be uncomfortable, but you can't stop changing because you're uncomfortable.
With the communication of information and the broadening of horizons, sooner or later, "body" is no longer a topic that everyone is entangled in, and I hope that day will come as soon as possible!