Zara Larsson Drops the Workout Routine — and a Major Reality Check

Zara Larsson and I may share a first name, but we definitely do not share the same physique. Because guess what? No two bodies are the same.

As an international pop star, Larsson obviously lives a very different life than I, a 30-something suburban work-from-home mom, lives, and that explains part of why I do not have her abs — not even close. But recently, a lot of people have been wondering what the star's secret is. Specifically, they want her to drop the workout routine.

And she did. But more importantly, she dropped some important context.

"Let's talk about the workout routine," she says in a viral TikTok. "So I just found that I've done 116 shows, 117 tomorrow, over the past year...I was like 'damn, that's a lot'...That's more than enough for me...I don't want to go to the gym."

She's right: Stage performances are hard, physical work. Dancing, working the stage...it takes a lot of energy, strength, and stamina, and undoubtedly plays a role in why the popstar looks so fit. But also...

"Half of it, if not more, is genetics. I'm sorry, like it is what it is...it's kind of useless to compare yourself to other people," she adds. "Because what really matters is how you feel in your body. Do you feel strong? Do you feel capable? Do you feel like you are living your best life?"

Can we get an amen? This is the message we need to hear — especially right now, as certain body types are being glorified and equated with discipline. In reality, we can all do the same thing and eat the same way and look completely different. That's actually a beautiful thing, and when we fall into the comparison game, we lose sight of that.

So let's hear it for Zara Larsson, for delivering the real talk we need. Bodies are different. That's the whole point.

And yeah, we can ask for the workout routine, because clearly whatever she's doing is making her feel strong and hot and giving her the ability to have fun...just as long as it doesn't become about comparison.