Meaning of “Strip” by Little Mix
“Strip” is a single by the noted British girl group Little Mix featuring American rapper Sharaya J. The lyrics of “Strip” encourage listeners to love their bodies just the way they’ve been created. The song encourages us to learn to love and embrace the so called “ugly” parts of our bodies that we can’t change.
According to the lyrics, only when one has learned to love his or her body would one be truly confident in life. And such confidence can never be bought with all the money in the world! So do away with the makeup and embrace what you see. You might be chubby. Big deal! Ignore what society thinks about your weight. If it isn’t causing you any health issues, why bother? Love yourself. Be happy in your skin. Jiggle those extra pounds and love yourself the way God created you.
In summation, “Strip” is Little Mix’s way of telling every single soul in the world to love who they are.
Music video for “Strip”
Just like the lyrics, the official music video for this song sends very powerful messages about body positivity and self-love. This video was directed by the iconic British fashion photographer Rankin. The clip features the Little Mix girls, Sharaya J and a bunch of notable women.
Women in the music video
The following are the notable women that appear in the clip:
- Somali social activist Nimco Ali. Ali is known for being one of the founders of the non-profit organization Daughters of Eve. This organization fights against female genital mutilation.
- English journalist Bryony Gordon. Gordon ran the 2017 London Marathon in only her underwear to support a number of mental health charities.
- Belgium-born transgender model, blogger and activist Maxim Magnus.
- Noted British plus-size model Felicity Hayward.
- British blogger, author and YouTuber Hannah Witton.
- The Confetti Crowd. Confetti Crowd is a group of female bloggers from the UK.
- Social media star Megan Jayne Crabbe. Crabbe is famed for her powerful messages about body positivity.
- English writer and breast cancer patient Kristin Hallenga. Hallenga co-founded the noted breast cancer awareness charity called CoppaFeel.
- Activist, blogger and YouTuber Nia The Light. Nia is noted for founding the #Froday movement. She encourages women to love and appreciate their natural hair.
- Muslim fashion blogger and author Dina Torkia.
Besides the famous names mentioned above, some close female family members of the Little Mix girls appear in the video. For example, the girls’ mothers also make brief appearances. In an Instagram post, the girls referred to each and every woman who appeared in the clip as “incredible” and “inspirational”
At some point in the clip, the girls appear unclad with a number of very offensive words scribbled on their bare skins. These words range from “fat” to “ugly” to “stupid”. According to them, these hurtful words are what certain people used on them in the past. However, they are no longer bothered about those taunts. Why? Because they have learned to love themselves.
Facts about “Strip”
- Little Mix and Sharaya J penned “Strip” alongside Chris Loco and Camille Purcell.
- The song’s co-writer Loco teamed up with MNEK to produce it.
- “Strip” is the first time that both Little Mix and Sharaya J are collaborating.
- Many fans claim they feel better about themselves after listening to this track.
- “Strip” was officially dropped on November 16, 2018. It is the fourth track off the album LM5. LM5 is the group’s fifth studio album.
- Little Mix co-directed the song’s video along with Rankin. The entire clip for this body embracing song was shot in black-and-white.
- Each member of Little Mix has suffered from body confidence issues. They therefore wrote “Strip” to address this problem.
Was “Strip” released as a single from LM5?
Yes, it was. This powerful anthem is officially the LM5‘s second single. The first single to be released from LM5 was “Woman Like Me”. That song features Nicki Minaj.
