According to theCDC, more than 40% of the U.S. population is living with obesity.
Reducing stigma is crucial
What inspired you to collaborate with the It’s Bigger Than Me campaign?
It is actually the case.
It’s a cool idea.
We’re only selling community.
We’re selling connection.
We’re selling understanding.
What’s going on?
Is something happening?"
They might be other people that you know.
To me, that’s where it is.
Queen Latifah believes compassion is key
Obesity is a growing issue.
That should not be the first thought.
If you thought about any other disease, you would not think of it in the same way.
You wouldn’t say the same things.
Those are the things that should exist.
We’re talking about four out of 10 Americans that’s a lot of people.
Many are kids, children.
What example are we setting?
What are we showing?
All of that doesn’t exactly work.
Everybody puts up this best version of themselves online.
The truth is, everybody is fighting with something, is dealing with something.
Nobody’s life is perfect.
What I would love to see is some more compassion.
“I wish you the best with everything.”
Or how about don’t say anything at all if you’re free to’t say something nice?
That’s still your option.
Better yet, educate yourself.
We all have something to offer.
We need to put much more positivity out there in the world.
Reflecting back to the start of your career in music, how does this moment feel?
There’s a few big moments that are happening in music that are making me feel amazing.
We still have to fight for each other.
I’m a girl’s girl.
I root for women.
I’m proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish.
Hip hop has been … Because we weren’t censored, other forms of music didn’t have to be censored.
They reaped the benefit of what us little rappers from the hood turned into a global phenomenon.
We’ll take that.
That is great to hear.
Continue to push this because people need to be aware.
You have no idea, because we change our images so much.
We have to be supportive wherever we can.
I’m glad that you feel that zone right there.
I love that you champion being a woman’s woman.
That’s so relatable.
We get put into these boxes in society, but we can be multidimensional women.
If anything, we got to fight to allow ourselves and everyone, honestly.
It’s not just us.
It’s not just a woman thing.
Too many men are put in a box, and there’s a whole community of non-binary, non-gender.
I want everybody to be who they authentically are.
Visit the websites for theIt’s Bigger Than Mecampaign and theInclusive Obesity Care Initiativeto learn more.
you’re able to keep up with Queen Latifah’s latest projects onInstagram.
This interview has been edited for clarity.
