July 7, Ordinary 14C (Luke 10:1-11, 16-20; Isaiah 66:10-14; Galatians 6:[1-6], 7-16)
I want to be like Lizzo when I grow up.
Lizzo is my inspiration. The pop music star is a singing, rapping, flute-playing phenomenon. She is also radically in love with her body, as she sings in “Soulmate”:
’Cause I’m my own soulmate
I know how to love me
I know that I’m always gonna hold me down
Yeah, I’m my own soulmate
No, I’m never lonely
I know I’m a queen but I don’t need no crown
Look up in the mirror like damn she the one
This should not be radical, but of course it is—for a black woman to be profoundly and unapologetically in love with her body. Most of Lizzo’s songs celebrate her own beauty, strength, and mesmerizing presence—in the midst of her admirers and in spite of her critics. At least two of her album covers feature her exposed frame, tastefully but sparely covered. And I want to be like her when I grow up.
