Alicia Keys On The Power Of Body Positivity And Loving Her Booty

Courtesy of Keys Soulcare By Blake Newby ·June 10, 2021June 10, 2021

It’s no secret that Alicia Keys is all about skin. Since making the bold decision in 2016 to stop wearing makeup, the singer has continued to encourage countless others to bare it all. That’s why, the launch ofher skincare brand, Keys Soulcare, was so different from the rest. With a mission of improving both what’s happening on the inside and what’s on the outside,Keys Soulcare has put as much emphasis on smooth glowing skin, as they have a sound mind and spirit. Its most recent launch encompasses the same thing — this time, however, for the body.

The collection comes with three different formulas to revamp and enhance your body routine: a body cream, body oil, and and body wash. “They’re so amazing because they really fit perfectly into the everyday routine,” Keys tells ESSENCE. “They smell beautiful and it just lingers in this sweet way. I love the ritual, and I love the mantra that says, ‘I love myself as I am.’ It’s such an amazing way to just connect to yourself. I love just being able to get out of the shower and put a little bit of this on and my skin feels extra smooth.”

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It’s the singer’s hope that the products allow consumers to not only tap into a more radiant complexion, but to also unlock a new level of self-love. “Everything I do is an act of creation,” she says. “I hope this collection just changes how you feel about yourself, and I think we have a lot of feelings about our bodies. We go through a lot, usually tons of judgment and just overthinking. So I think this is a beautiful way to get to know yourself and to uplift yourself and remind yourself that you’re perfect the way you are.”

Products, however, aren’t the only way that Keys cares for herself. “I love to be good to my body,” she says. “Sometimes I’m better than other times.” She lists drinking water as one of the foremost things she does to stay healthy. “I think water is a major, major magical secret,” she shares. “It’s such a simple thing that we take for granted and it is literally just life-changing to me. I have this huge canteen that I carry around everywhere and when I don’t have it I feel like I’m lost.” And while she also lists eliminating dairy as a game-changer, it’s something else that truly keeps her on track. “I like to take care of my body is through my meditation,” she says. “I find that a lot of people telling me ‘You’re aging backwards,’ and I really feel like it’s because of the meditation as well. Just being able to kind of take that time, and have those moments, to really just create some peace in a hectic mad world — it helps.”

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When it comes to body positivity as well, Keys has seemingly unlocked the code. However, she understands that’s not the case for everyone — yet another reason she created this body collection. “I’ve been curvy since like the day I came out, I’ve never been a skinny girl,” she says. “It’s just never been that way. But I love my body and I have to say I’ve always felt very positive about my body. The only time that I didn’t feel positive about my body is when someone else injected their opinion about my body on me — and that’s when I was young.” Keys insists that often times we actually do feel good about ourselves until someone tells us not to. “Then we’re like, ‘Well, maybe something’s wrong with us,’ because we hold other people’s opinions in such high regard,” she says. “Obviously as a kid and as a young woman is not as easy to know that, but I know that now. So my relationship with my body really has always been pretty healthy. I’ve always preferred my curves over anything else, I’ve found that to be very beautiful. I love a beautiful booty, I just love curviness. I have a certain style of body that I personally feel that everybody wants and I love that.”

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Even living in a house of men, Keys says she still notices the pressures to look a certain way. “For boys, I noticed that they’re very concerned with muscles,” she says. “So I think that that’s interesting, right? Because we all have these images that have been shown to us in our head about what masculine or feminine is. It’s interesting because just thinking about how so many of the images that we portray as positive or that we want to aspire to, are shown to us even as kids. We’re not really thinking this big effect it has on us, but it does.”

Shop the latest Keys Soulcare launches ahead.

01Renewing Body + Hand Wash