Jacqui Palumbo, CNN

The form-fitting bodysuits and undergarments that make up shapewear have become a lucrative business, with Spanx valued at $1.2 billion and Kim Kardashian’s Skims brand propelling her to billionaire status. Now, singer and rapper Lizzo will enter the market next month with Yitty, her new venture offering bras, leggings, shorts and more.

The three-time Grammy winner said in a press statement that she’s been wearing shapewear “for a long time” — as early as the fifth grade — but wants her line to be radically different than what she calls “sad, restrictive shapewear.”

“I felt that I was constantly being told through TV and magazines that my body wasn’t good enough,” she said. “And, in order to be considered ‘acceptable’ I had to inflict some sort of pain upon it to fit into an archetype of beauty.”

Instead, Yitty, backed by Fabletics, is promoting “self-love” and “radical inner confidence” through soft fabrics and silhouettes that can be worn as clothes or under them, with sizes ranging 6X to XS. It will launch online on April 12.

“Instead of thinking about size in this linear way, we’re thinking about it on a spectrum where everyone is included. Everyone’s size is just their size. It’s not high, it’s not low. It’s not big, it’s not small. It’s just your size,” she said.

Yitty, named after her childhood nickname, will launch with three different lines: “Nearly Naked,” which features seamless garments; “Mesh Me,” a collection of mesh styles that can also be worn as outerwear; and “Major Label,” which focuses on everyday lifestyle pieces.

Fabletics was co-founded by actor Kate Hudson in 2013 with her business partners Adam Goldenberg and Don Ressler and has attracted several celebrity partnerships, including a workout line with singer Demi Lovato and a velour collection with actor Vanessa Hudgens. In 2020, the brand entered menswear with comedian Kevin Hart as the face of the line. Since 2017, the company has offered a wider range of sizes, hoping to reflect more diversity in body types.

But Lizzo hopes that Yitty will take an extra step, helping to change the way that women feel about their bodies.

“I decided to take on the challenge of allowing women to feel unapologetically good about themselves again,” she said.

The-CNN-Wire
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