FEATURE:
The Queen of Walsall
PHOTO CREDIT: Rashidi Noah for The Guardian
Jorja Smith’s Falling or Flying, and Changing Attitudes Regarding Body Positivity
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I have spoken about…
the captivating and simply brilliant Jorja Smith recently, because she was getting a lot of abuse and nasty comments online regarding her body. I wanted to return to that, not as a way of exploiting something quite toxic and personally damaging, but to ask why there is not celebration of body positivity and better attitudes. An issue that mostly affects women in the industry, there are so many degrading and cruel comments posted on social media if a woman has a body shape or size that is not stick-thin or what many perceive as ‘normal’ or ‘desirable’. It is part down to the industry and the way women have been marketed and promoted. We still live in a time when attitudes from the past exist regarding body image and weight. Body positivity is an amazing thing, but it is often met with so much poison and abuse. I have been reminded of it again because, as Smith is promoting her upcoming album, falling or flying, she has been discussing recent online negativity and toxicity – something, as she states, that is pretty hard to get away from. I wanted to start with the huge positives. I think that Jorja Smith’s second album – following 2018’s Lost & Found -, will be a huge success. That debut was nominated for the Mercury Prize, and I think that falling or flying will be in contention next year. Out in September, this album will confirm Smith as one of the music world’s most extraordinary talents. With a voice like nobody else, everyone needs to check out the album! She is this artist that got a lot of attention when she released her earliest singles. She has since put out a steady strong or brilliant music. Growing stronger and more confident with each release we are going to hear a lot more from the Walsall-born treasure.
I do want to get to an interview from The Guardian, where Jorja Smith was talking about her new album. She also mentioned comments she has to read about her weight and body image. In addition to talking about falling or flying and the changes from Lost & Found to now, Smith did spend a moment addressing the negative comments about her body and how she has dealt with it:
“When we last spoke, in 2017, she said she would post on Instagram, then close it without endlessly scrolling. What does she make of social media now? “I hate it,” she says – apart from TikTok, which is “a nice place. But Instagram … Someone else is doing my Instagram,” she says, now cross-legged on a sofa in a secondhand Nike T-shirt. “Sometimes, I’ll wish I gave myself a different artist name or something, so at least I could detach myself.” Using her real name for work has made it harder to separate herself from any negative comments. It also means she saw the recent wave of online commentary about her weight, enough of it for her to trend on Twitter for two days.
IN THIS PHOTO: Smith on stage with Stormzy at the O2 Academy, Brixton, in 2018/PHOTO CREDIT: Joseph Okpako/WireImage
Unprompted, she starts to talk about it. “It’s funny, my friend said: ‘I thought you didn’t read comments?’ And I was like” – she puts on a faux-whiney voice – “I don’t, but sometimes it’s like I can’t escape it.” In mid-June, a video was posted on social media of her performing the junglist Nia Archives remix of Little Things – a single that has dovetailed with these hot recent weeks and is heading towards the Top 10 – and joy emanates from it as she winds through the song’s groove. But in the comments, she says: “There’s loads of talk about my weight, which is actually crazy. Because, right, I’m 26. I’m not 18. I’ve never ever been super-skinny – I’ve been slimmer, but I’ve also been younger, and a kid.”
She had already been feeling more aware of how her body has changed. “Coming into the campaign, I felt a bit like, I’ve been busy, I haven’t done as much gym. I am eating healthier, but I was chatting to some friends from school and saying that maybe I’ve gotten to that age where I put on weight a bit more easily now. Things change, don’t they, with your body?” She says she is hard on herself anyway: “I’m like, damn, I feel a bit insecure about it, and now people are commenting on it.” She smiles cheekily. “I have to think: ‘What are they going through?’ No one’s ever said anything in person, never. It’s very interesting”.
Smith, as she has never been super-skinny. She looks amazing and is clearly someone who wants to promote body positive. Healthy and happier than she has ever been seemingly, there is always this view that women in music should be very skinny or conform to some very damaging and prehistoric attitudes. Smith has remained on social media and has not lowered herself to the level or attacking or striking back against those who comment. As she also said, people don’t say anything to her face about her weight. Even so, why would people go there in the first place?! I have written about this before, but so many women in the industry have to read such vile and personal comments about their bodies. From Lizzo to Billie Eilish, so many incredible artists have had to face bullying, judgement, harassment and nastiness relating to the way they look. Jorja Smith is one of the very best artists, and we need her in the industry. Her online presence means she gets to connect with the fans. We do not want a day when she quits social media or pulls back from recording or promoting her music! She is very strong and has this resilience, but it must still get to her too. She looks phenomenal but, and it is a relatively small number, she is the recipient of horrible comments. Like so often is the case, the majority of the poisonous comments are from men.
Attituded definitely need to change. Different body shapes and sizes need to be accepted and celebrated. This weird idea that all women should be really skinny is so outdated and problematic. We have heard stories from female artists in the ‘90s how they were told to be skinny or a certain weight so they could be considered sexy. Gracing magazine cover and music videos, weight and how they looked was a big deal. It is a horrific and controlling pattern that still has some legacy today. Not as problematic as it was, there is an ideal that exists regarding women and their bodies. Not many articles or magazines that celebrate body positivity. Jorja Smith no doubt inspires a lot of women and girls who realise that they can be natural and do not have to confirm with whatever wrapped stereotypes still do the rounds. With every case of an artist feeling defined or criticised because of how they looked, it sends out this very damaging message! How many women follow these stories and feel reluctant to enter music because of what they might face. It is hard enough maintaining a career and making money, without having to answer to trolls and online bullies. Jorja Smith is a legend who is going to keep on delivering wonderful albums. falling or flying is going to score amazing reviews and earn Smith awards. A titanic talent who should be embraced and loved, she – like women throughout the industry – should not have to read comments about their weight. Our music queens are making this industry so much better and more interesting! They should have agency and not feel abused and attacked because of their bodies. Vitally important humans who are giving the world so much, body positivity and changing our attitudes towards women need to change. As much as anything, people really need to…
FOCUS on the music.