Lizzo’s Cuz I Love You album took pop culture by storm in 2019. Track 8, “Exactly How I Feel (feat. Gucci Mane),” is the perfect combo of upbeat chords, techno beats, and empowering messages of self-love. Lizzo evokes messages of second-wave feminist thought, specifically connecting to the book’s ideas that became a worldwide phenomenon entitled Our Bodies, Ourselves, originally published in 1973. The book discusses how “body education has been liberating for us and may be a starting point for the liberation of many other women” (Boston Women’s Health Book Collective, 296). Lizzo’s song coincides with these messages because she is promoting bodily autonomy; as she sings, “Love ’cause I want to,” not because society is telling her to do so, solely to procreate. Or even “Smile if I want to.” She is showing control over her body and that she is the person who gets to decide “exactly” how she feels each day when she wakes up.
Lizzo’s song also connects to black feminist thought scholar Patricia Hill Collins. Collins argues how images of black women have been controlled by “elite white males” to put black women into boxes where they are either the “mammy,” “matriarch,” “welfare mother,” or “jezebel.” Collins articulates how these forms of control ultimately work as “justifications for racial oppression, the politics of gender subordination, and economic exploitations” (Patricia Hill Collins, 271). Lizzo’s lyrics and identity of being a black woman simultaneously work to break down these stereotypes. She sings, “Can’t hold back my tears/That would be a crime/‘Cause I look pretty cryin'” and “Cry ’cause I want to/Smile if I want to”/Get so mad I could scream.” Lizzo tells us exactly how she feels and all the versions of herself. Each holds power, whether she is crying or smiling, and all these actions happen on her own terms. Lizzo does all this impressively in two minutes; she can present herself as a fully actualized black woman, which employs black feminist thought. She asks the listener, “Ain’t I so amazing? And to that, I answer yes, yes you are Lizzo.
However, some limitations make it hard to claim this to be “exactly” right on the mark with all feminist frames of thought in 2022. First off, the inclusion of Gucci Mane rapping on the track, on the one hand, displays bell hook’s idea that black women need support from black men in their fight for liberation. As hooks writes, “The formation of a liberatory feminist theory and praxis is a collective responsibility, one that must be shared” (bell hooks, 17). On the other hand, Gucci Mane’s lyricism feels at loggerheads with feminist intersectional thought. He raps, “My heart ain’t got no feelings,” which promotes ideas of toxic masculinity and shows no apparent solidarity for women. Additionally, searching the lyrics, there are no explicit references to intersectional feminism, and subsequently no mention of womanism, transfeminism, or queer feminism. Despite these limitations, “Exactly How I Feel” has a universal message that anyone can relate to, about validating all feelings that arise and crushing the binaries of “good” and “bad,” reminding us we are all humans at the end of the day.
Your connections to class material make this a really strong analysis. Lizzo is a great advocate and is definitely someone to admire. I also like the way you clearly recognize the limitations of the song without tearing down your own argument. Great work!
Really interesting analysis. I liked how you focus on the artist’s feelings and how this is a form of empowerment. Your connections to class readings and analysis of the limitations made me wonder what specific stereotypes are challenged and why Gucci Mane was called for the rap.
I thought your analysis was very strong! You were able to connect the song back to several readings in class and made some really insightful comments. Your point on the impact Gucci Mane’s inclusion in the song was particularly interesting. I feel like many of Lizzo’s songs address feminism in a self-empowering way and “Exactly How I Feel” is no exception, making Lizzo a great role model for her listeners. Like you said, it is amazing how she can produce such a powerful message in 2 minutes.
So glad you analyzed Lizzo! This was a great analysis and I thought your contrast of Gucci Mane and Lizzo was super interesting. There is a very stark difference between Lizzo singing “don’t hide no emotions” and Gucci Mane stating “My heart ain’t got no feelings.” I wonder if this has to do with the expectation of women to be more sensitive and emotional and men to be more rational and objective. I think that many young people in this country are stunted by the inability to express themselves and the overwhelming pressure to “man up” and hold in all of their emotions. This is why I love Lizzie because she inspires people to not be afraid of crying, and shows its worth in understanding and loving all parts of the self.
Lizzo was such a great artist to choose for this analysis! I love the way in which she goes far beyond saying “plus-size bodies are allowed to exist,” and states in both her music, her social media, and her overall image that fat bodies are beautiful, sexy, and deserve to be actively celebrated- not merely tolerated. However, you do make a really good point about Gucci Mane’s involvement in the song. It’s rare that we hear a song in this genre made only by black women and without the addition of a black man supporting her through his rap- even though, as you said, the rap section of the song often has a much less feminist message than the rest of the song. It almost has the tone of a man saying “yeah, shes a feminist, BUT I still think she’s attractive, so you all (the general public) can still appreciate her music”- as if an anecdote from a man concerning the woman’s sex appeal is needed to give us permission to accept that woman’s strength and voice.
Lizzo is my absolute favorite artist and I love this song but I completely agree that it would have been better, and would have been a better presentation of feminism, without the inclusion of Gucci Mane. She is a powerful and talented artist and does not need a man to be a part of the song for it to be valid or successful. While Lizzo is a Black women who has experienced body shaming and fatphobic comments and can speak to either of those issues, she has stated that is straight and cannot speak to the struggles of the LGBTQ+ community. In the future, I would like to see her collaborate with a queer person of color on a song so that she can further explore that intersectionality.