This week, Lizzo, our blessed queen of not giving a damn, performed at the FOMO Festival in Auckland, New Zealand wearing a turquoise harness on top of a graffiti-inspired bodysuit covered in her famed lyrics, “Good as Hell." A day earlier, Lizzo shared a TikTok video on her Instagram in a version of the same bodysuit, but with a pink harness, showing us all the goodies inside her tiny Jacquemus bag. This included a pencil, TV remote, chips, a bottle of wine, a wig, and a neon dress. Only the necessities, of course!
The “Truth Hurts” singer is no stranger to harnesses (and corsets, too). In fact, they’ve become a mainstay of her wardrobe, which is comprised of pieces that accentuate her body — an affirmation of fat positivity and a rejection of the constant criticism she receives for flaunting it.
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The wearing of harnesses—a trend that has come in and out of style over the last thirty years but is distinctly linked to BDSM—sends a message from Lizzo and other celebrities who have been spotted wearing them. For example, in 2019, Timothée Chalamet, Michael B. Jordan and Chadwick Boseman all wore harnesses on the red carpet, nodding to cultural discussions over masculinity. Meanwhile, in November 2019, Dua Lipa wore a version of a harness to the MTV EMA’s in Seville, Spain. Though women wearing harnesses is nothing new (Rihanna donned one in 2011), when worn in public, especially by someone in the spotlight, a harness is an intentional gesture that makes us question society’s rigid stances on sexuality and gender.
By refusing to hide or change her body in order to fit into outdated cultural expectations, Lizzo shows the world that fat black women are worthy. The harness seems to be the perfect accessory in this mission.
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