Houston’s Lizzo hosted a new TED Talk in which she discussed the history of twerking and how the popular dance move helped her love her body.
The discussion starts with Lizzo revealing that she wasn’t always as confident with her body as she is today.
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“I used to hate my ass, believe it or not. I have my father’s shape and my mother’s side, because it’s big and long,” Lizzo said. “I used to think that only asses like J.Lo’s or Beyonce’s could be famous, I never thought that could happen to me. I always felt like my body type was never the right one or the desirable one growing up. I grew up in an era where having a big ass wasn’t mainstream.”
Lizzo went on to boast the recognition she has gotten for her backside, which she said was the least favorite part of her body.
“I felt like the ass odds were against me, but baby, this badonkadonkdonk is going places,” Lizzo said. “My ass has been the topic of conversation, my ass has been in magazines, Rihanna gave my ass a standing ovation. Yes, my booty, my least favorite part of my body.”
So, how did the singer gain the confidence that she has today? Twerking.
“Through the movement of twerking, I discovered my ass is my greatest asset,” Lizzo said.
Over the 13-minute “TED Twerk,” Lizzo discussed the black history of twerking, tracing it back to West African culture — where it was “a celebration of joy and religious worship” — and how the dance has evolved through hip-hop music and on to social media apps, Rolling Stone reports.
She goes on to discuss the future of twerking and the threatened erasure of its blackness.
Watch “Lizzo: The Black history of twerking -- and how it taught me self-love” below: