If you’ve ever heard the phrase 'I’m too big for a condom' from a guy trying to get it on with you, you know you’re not alone. In January though, 17-year-old Swedish pop sensation Zara Larsson (no relation to the writer of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo) completely pulled that myth apart by, well, pulling a condom over half her leg.
In just one Instagram post, she called bullshit on an excuse used by men since the dawn of condoms. The post went viral, giving thousands of women visual evidence to disprove fuckboy logic and be on their merry ways.
With over 295k followers on Twitter and a million on Instagram, Larsson has been dubbed ‘Queen’ of social media by the likes of Buzzfeed and MTV. The past few weeks have been madness for Larsson, who is busy promoting her new single with British singer-songwriter-producer MNEK, but The Debrief managed to nab some time with her.
Hey Zara! We hear you’ve been insanely busy, thanks for taking the time to chat with us
Hey, it’s my pleasure!
So how are you doing?
I’m really good. It’s been very busy but it’s been great - I was in Australia recently and even though we were only there for two days, it feels like I’ve seen the whole of Sydney now. I loved it, didn’t want to leave. That’s how it is with my mum, she’s a vacation dictator - there’s no just chilling.
Congratulations on reaching 1 million followers on Instagram
Thank you! It’s really great, because I do want people to follow me and be interested in what I do. But also, a million people is a LOT of people. It’s hard to fathom. You really don’t get that that many people are looking at your photos. It’s just way too many!
You’re quite known for being an outspoken feminist - like when you posted that condom picture back in January. What was the reaction to it?
The reactions were crazy when I first posted it! It’s obviously a joke but at the same time, it’s not. I got a few reactions from guys being all ughhh about it but I think most people just laughed about it. Loads of people tagged their friends in it, and I guess a lot of girls have heard it before. Personally, I’ve never had someone try and make that excuse, and if I ever meet someone like that in the future, I’ll just be like 'uh-uh'. I have proof you’re lying!
How does it feel to be a feminist role model at just 17?
You know, I don’t really get it why people say they don’t want to be role models - come on, you’re an artist! Obviously people are going to look up to you. Like Rihanna has said that she’s not a role model but I think she is. I don’t know why it would be ‘uncool’ to be a role model because I think you can definitely do something great about it! I love it, I want people to be inspired or learn something and it’s really really cool if I can do that.
What can we expect next from you?
I’m in the process of working on my next album, but it’s really hard to say what it’s going to sound like right now. But it’s definitely going to be a sexier sound, more urban, more mature… I’m really excited.
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.