Growing up kids dream about becoming a singer for fame and fortune, but what they most don't think about is how they can use their fame to make important changes to society. Artists like Harry Styles, Lizzo, and Billie Eilish have changed the way we view people whether they are in the music industry or not.
It won't come as a shock to say that former One Direction member Harry Styles has been one of music's many influencers, but his influence didn't reach full potential until he became a solo artist. During his time with One Direction, Harry was unable to express himself fully, as many fans speculate, is because of Modest Management.
Since Harry Styles has moved on from One Direction he has become a pivotal role model for the LGBTQ+ community, advocating his motto, "Treat People With Kindness." Harry Styles acts as the voice of those struggling with their sexuality because he is a prime example.
Another influential artist is Lizzo. Society has determined that those who desire to be famous need to mold themselves into Hollywood's "perfect" body type. From the beginning of the present-day film and music industries, our biggest stars have been expected to fit the body image of Hollywood: skinny or surgically enhanced. That is until artists such as Lizzo became famous partly due to their advocacy of different body types.
Lizzo is held in high regard for her confidence. She has inspired impressionable young girls to embrace their flaws and see that they don't need to change anything about themselves for the world to accept them.
Billie Eilish emerged as an artist known for hiding her body behind baggy clothes and preaching about mental health awareness. Her goal has been to inspire people to speak up about their mental health so that people can feel understood, so they have a friend in a world where they feel alone.
Rather than using perfection as a way to become famous, Billie Eilish has been openly honest about her mental health struggles in a successful attempt to normalize speaking up for yourself and others.
Harry Styles, Lizzo, and Billie Eilish live by the motto: "Be the change you want to see in the world." Many people have the opportunity to inflict change, but by being in the music industry their voices can reach people on a larger scale and change the way the world views people because, at the end of the day, we all deserve to be treated like we matter.
