Body Positivity Tore Up the Charts in 2019
This was the year Lizzo, Billie Eilish, and others redefined how a pop star should look
2019 proved to be a banner year for earth-shaking music moments, such as Lil Nas X breaking a longstanding Billboard Hot 100 record with “Old Town Road,” and Drake becoming the first solo artist to lock in 200 appearances on the coveted music chart. Female artists, however, ruled the decade’s final year thanks to hit songs, legions of dedicated fans who come for the music but stay for the artist’s relatability, and pleasant (albeit unintentional) forays into social justice — specifically the body positivity movement.
Body politics often shape our perceptions of what is deemed physically and aesthetically “acceptable.” As with most pop culture phenomena, unabashedly dismantling the status quo is nothing new. Some of the biggest stars throughout music’s storied history have not adhered to a conventional visual standard, from Aretha Franklin and Adele to Joan Jett and Janelle Monáe. Many of these women are not a size 2, nor do they always dress “like women,” yet they use these differences as their superpower. Their looks, size, or style have not hindered the way their work has been absorbed by the masses; people are drawn to music that makes them feel something, regardless of how the musician looks…
