Queen Latifah has partnered with pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk for the It’s Bigger Than Me campaign that they hope will change the conversation around obesity. The “Ladies First” MC and Novo Nordisk plan to ease the stigma associated with obesity and focus on issues like hormones and biology, which are frequent causes of being overweight. The It’s Bigger Than Me campaign features videos and online resources as well as “The Equalizer” star appearing in several spots styled like television programs addressing the stigma of obesity.
Queen Latifah has never had an issue with her voluptuous shape but stated that she became involved with the campaign because she was once misinformed about the definition of obesity.
“I fell into the category of obesity, and it took a trainer to educate me about what it was when I was trying to lose weight for a project. He said, ‘OK, well, here’s where you are. And this falls into the category of obesity.’ I was like, ‘Wait a minute, I’m obese.’ And I’m thinking, ‘Oh, wow. So, what can I do about it?’ ” Latifah told Campaign US.
Latifah has also experienced body-shaming in Hollywood in the past and was once told she and some of her castmates on “Living Single” needed to shed a few pounds. She hopes the campaign will motivate people to educate themselves about obesity and remove the shame surrounding it.
“I remember when I was doing ‘Living Single,’ the word came down that we needed to lose weight, and it was like, what? Now mind you, we have the No. 1 show among Black and Latino, Latinx audiences, at the time. And we have a hit show and you’re telling us we need to lose weight. Telling us this exactly. Why are you telling us this? We look like real people. We look like real women. We all look different. And those are the kind of things that come to you that can chip away at your self-esteem,” Latifah previously told Essence.
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