Queen Latifah speaks on body image in advertising at Cannes Lions

Queen Latifah
(CREDIT: Shutterstock)

On Tuesday, Queen Latifah took the stage at The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity to share her experiences with body image and obesity, drawing from her extensive career in the music and acting industries.

“Weight has always been a discussion. Image has always been a discussion. Body type. Body shape,” Latifah said to the audience. “Because we are out there. Just being in the music industry, I started off as a rapper, there was lots and lots of pressure.”

Latifah was part of a panel titled “Let’s Talk About Weight: Conversations about Creativity, Community and Obesity.” She explained that one of her primary reasons for attending Cannes Lions was to influence the decisions that go into creating advertising and choosing the images they portray.

“It’s important that we are here in Cannes with all these creative minds who can create a different dialogue that works for everyone,” The Equalizer star continued. “And really put health first because you cannot judge someone’s health by how they look.”

She emphasized that changing the dialogue around weight and body image in advertising is crucial. Reflecting on her path to success, she noted the challenges and pushback she faced. “People are stuck in their mindsets — it’s not just actors, it’s producers, people at studios, people who’ve gone through their own weight loss journeys, who’ve heard different messages within their own homes — so they’re putting that out to other people, and they’re creating the media and the imagery we see.”

Latifah recounted her early years, observing how her favorite artists navigated the industry’s pressures around weight and image. This influenced her development of a self-love approach.

“There were certain artists I really loved growing up, and every time they were dropping an album, there would be this thing about getting in shape to drop an album,” she said. “They would lose 50 pounds, but they didn’t look like that in their normal, average, everyday life.”

Recognizing this as unrealistic for her, Latifah chose to accept herself as she is, prioritizing her health and consulting with her doctor. “Everyone looks all different ways, and that’s normal.”

Initially, the pressures of body image and stereotyping made her doubt her potential for success. “Number one was, can I really move into Hollywood and accomplish what I want to in this business, being me in this body? In this complexion?” she asked. “It was about finding people that understood that was the vision: ‘She’s talented. She should be able to do her thing in her own way.’”



She highlighted the unrealistic beauty standards prevalent during her upbringing. “I watched this idea of what beauty was supposed to be: size two, blue-eyed,” Latifah recalled. “That was being pushed on everyone as I was growing up. I thought that was a bar I was never going to meet.”

Latifah, a spokesperson for Novo Nordisk’s “It’s Bigger Than Me” project, spoke about obesity as a health condition. She noted that there are 100 million people living with obesity in the U.S. and a billion globally.

“The first thing was to recognize it’s bigger than me, you, all of us,” she said. “It’s about community. Creating dialogue. Not talking about it as a character flaw or something you could use willpower for, but as a health condition. Then asking for input from the world.”

She stressed the importance of addressing the stigma around obesity. “Doing campaigns that talk about it being used as a joke. Talking about how words matter, talking about obesity. Family cracking jokes to motivate you, that is really tearing you apart. The fact that someone is afraid to call a doctor because of shame, that you don’t seek the help you need, is the real shame.”

Latifah credited Oprah Winfrey as an inspiration for speaking out about weight issues. “I love the idea that someone will not have to endure the same journey today,” she said.

Despite her success, Latifah humbly deflected some of the moderator’s praise. While she was the first rap artist to perform at the Super Bowl, she noted that she couldn’t claim the title of the First Lady of rap, acknowledging the contributions of those who came before her.

“I was not the first female rapper. I cannot take that credit,” Latifah said. However, she embraced her title of Queen.

Click here for more news from Cannes.


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Queen Latifah
(CREDIT: Shutterstock)

On Tuesday, Queen Latifah took the stage at The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity to share her experiences with body image and obesity, drawing from her extensive career in the music and acting industries.

“Weight has always been a discussion. Image has always been a discussion. Body type. Body shape,” Latifah said to the audience. “Because we are out there. Just being in the music industry, I started off as a rapper, there was lots and lots of pressure.”

Latifah was part of a panel titled “Let’s Talk About Weight: Conversations about Creativity, Community and Obesity.” She explained that one of her primary reasons for attending Cannes Lions was to influence the decisions that go into creating advertising and choosing the images they portray.

“It’s important that we are here in Cannes with all these creative minds who can create a different dialogue that works for everyone,” The Equalizer star continued. “And really put health first because you cannot judge someone’s health by how they look.”

She emphasized that changing the dialogue around weight and body image in advertising is crucial. Reflecting on her path to success, she noted the challenges and pushback she faced. “People are stuck in their mindsets — it’s not just actors, it’s producers, people at studios, people who’ve gone through their own weight loss journeys, who’ve heard different messages within their own homes — so they’re putting that out to other people, and they’re creating the media and the imagery we see.”

Latifah recounted her early years, observing how her favorite artists navigated the industry’s pressures around weight and image. This influenced her development of a self-love approach.

“There were certain artists I really loved growing up, and every time they were dropping an album, there would be this thing about getting in shape to drop an album,” she said. “They would lose 50 pounds, but they didn’t look like that in their normal, average, everyday life.”

Recognizing this as unrealistic for her, Latifah chose to accept herself as she is, prioritizing her health and consulting with her doctor. “Everyone looks all different ways, and that’s normal.”

Initially, the pressures of body image and stereotyping made her doubt her potential for success. “Number one was, can I really move into Hollywood and accomplish what I want to in this business, being me in this body? In this complexion?” she asked. “It was about finding people that understood that was the vision: ‘She’s talented. She should be able to do her thing in her own way.’”



She highlighted the unrealistic beauty standards prevalent during her upbringing. “I watched this idea of what beauty was supposed to be: size two, blue-eyed,” Latifah recalled. “That was being pushed on everyone as I was growing up. I thought that was a bar I was never going to meet.”

Latifah, a spokesperson for Novo Nordisk’s “It’s Bigger Than Me” project, spoke about obesity as a health condition. She noted that there are 100 million people living with obesity in the U.S. and a billion globally.

“The first thing was to recognize it’s bigger than me, you, all of us,” she said. “It’s about community. Creating dialogue. Not talking about it as a character flaw or something you could use willpower for, but as a health condition. Then asking for input from the world.”

She stressed the importance of addressing the stigma around obesity. “Doing campaigns that talk about it being used as a joke. Talking about how words matter, talking about obesity. Family cracking jokes to motivate you, that is really tearing you apart. The fact that someone is afraid to call a doctor because of shame, that you don’t seek the help you need, is the real shame.”

Latifah credited Oprah Winfrey as an inspiration for speaking out about weight issues. “I love the idea that someone will not have to endure the same journey today,” she said.

Despite her success, Latifah humbly deflected some of the moderator’s praise. While she was the first rap artist to perform at the Super Bowl, she noted that she couldn’t claim the title of the First Lady of rap, acknowledging the contributions of those who came before her.

“I was not the first female rapper. I cannot take that credit,” Latifah said. However, she embraced her title of Queen.

Click here for more news from Cannes.


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