Good as Hell: Life Advice from Lizzo

Hi. My name is Em, and I am the self-appointed Head Lizzo aficionado of the Social Cut office. Sorry, Bridget, but I am taking this crown and wearing it. I love her. For those of you who don’t know, Lizzo is an American rapper/singer who has been making music since 2013. You’ve probably heard her song ‘Truth Hurts,’ it’s been huge in 2019. She’s witty, she’s a body positivity champion and she’s got a lot of lessons to give the world.

Like A Girl

Lizzo has no time for glass ceilings or patriarchy. She’s proud of being successful, she’s proud of being a woman and she’s proud of her emotions. Getting told what she can or cannot do is an obsolete concept to Lizzo. She’s got nothing to prove, but she proves time and time again that she can break records, win awards, play the biggest festivals in the world and do it all like a girl. Anyone who wants to try and bring her down can take their childish insults elsewhere because doing things like a girl means you're doing spectacularly.

Celebrate your Unlikely Talents

Lizzo is a singer, songwriter a rapper, an actress, a dancer and… a flautist. That’s right, she had a college scholarship for flute and she STILL practices about 4 hours a day. She’s found a way to work the flute into her live shows, absolutely destroying it for the solo in the middle of Juice (Glastonbury Festival 2019: HOLY F-LUTE). She saved her Coachella set by playing the flute acapella when her backing DJ speakers failed, and if that isn’t a lesson in nurturing your niche talents then I don’t know what is. Keep doing what you love, even if you don’t see the link to your career. Who knows when floristry or graphic design or cocktail-mixing will come in handy. Stick with it!

Progress is Non-Linear

‘Truth Hurts’ came out in 2017. It’s only just gotten popular in 2019. Not even superstars are on the up and up constantly. One moment you’re progressing incredibly well, then suddenly you’ll slow down or grind to a halt. There’s nothing wrong with that! You’re on your own path, and it’s is absolutely going to have high and low notes. What matters is your tenacity and dedication; good things come to those who work hard.

Lift your Friends Up

Say it with me: If I’m shining, everybody gonna shine! If there's one thing Lizzo does well, it's embolden her peers and fans. Apart from being an absolute banger of a lyric, this is some solid advice for being in business. Whatever industry you're in, try looking at your competitors as potential collaborators and see the difference it makes. You're more likely to create great work if you work with a team of people who have their own expertise to bring to the table. There’s plenty of room at the top, we can all fit in there.

Love Yourself

I have no advice for this one except for this Lizzo quote about self-acceptance and body positivity from her NPR Tiny Desk Concert, “If you can love me as much as you do without knowing me, and without me being like this archetype of modern beauty in media, then you can love yourself!” I love Lizzo, therefore I love myself.

PS. Lizzo, if you see this, ILY.