03rd May 2022
Taking to Instagram to emphasize that Yitty “is *not* an invitation to change who you are… [but] an opportunity to BE who you are on your terms,” Lizzo's new shapewear brand is making a positive impact before it's even launched.
Proving yet again that she is 100% that b*itch, the three-time Grammy winning multi-hyphenate has added another string to her bow in the form of Yitty. A brand that’s putting a firm focus on inclusivity, self-love and reframing the narrative surrounding shapewear, its sizes range from 6X to XS and we’re obsessed.
While the Truth Hurts singer took to Instagram to say that this project is five years in the making, the wheels started turning the best part of 20 years ago. At just 12 years old, Lizzo says shapewear became “a gateway to me not liking my body and not liking myself and not feeling normal”.
In a society that likes its women to be rigidly confined to smaller spaces, shapewear took on a restrictive, oppressive quality. In choosing to rebel against this, Lizzo found joy in creating shapes and “having autonomy in [her] sexiness and beauty”. Inspired by her own frustrations all those years ago, the 33-year-old has created three collections that you can wear “underwear, overwear, anywhere. For every damn body”.
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The Yitty liberation
Having long been lauded as a body positivity icon, Lizzo is a devout champion of self-acceptance and loving the skin you’re in — and Yitty is heralding a new era of body normativity. “I’m sick of people telling me how I’m supposed to look and feel about my body,” Lizzo says. “I’m tired of discomfort being synonymous with sexy. If it’s uncomfortable TAKE IT OFF. And if it makes you feel good PUT IT ON.”
In a recent interview with The New York Times, Lizzo said, “I’m selling a mentality that ‘I can do what I want with my body, wear what I want and feel good while doing it.’ That whatever body you are showing off, it’s not, ‘Oh, how brave,’” she continued. “No. No more of that. Nothing to see here but a body, just like your body.”
Size on a spectrum
Available in sizes ranging from 6X to XS, each design has been fitted on “every size and body type, not merely scaled up (or down) for convenience”. In a press release, Lizzo explained, “Instead of thinking about size in this linear way, we’re thinking about it on a spectrum where everyone is included. Everyone’s size is just their size. It’s not high, it’s not low. It’s not big, it’s not small. It’s just your size.”
Created with active life wear brand Fabletics — co-founded by Kate Hudson in 2013 — Yitty has about 100 different pieces across three collections. ‘Nearly Naked’ will feature seamless shaping garments, ‘Mesh Me’ will feature transitional under- to outerwear pieces, and ‘Major Label’ will focus on everyday lifestyle pieces. Over 65% of the styles are made with recycled fibres, and their packaging is made with 100% recycled materials.
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With an album on the way and her brand new reality show Watch Out for the Big Grrrls just hitting Amazon Prime, Lizzo season is well and truly upon us.