Credits: Social Media
RuPauls most iconic catchphrase has inspiring meaning that could change your outlook on love
Drag Queen and TV host RuPaul has offered wisdom to his followers in the form of the context behind his iconic catchphrase, “If you don’t love yourself, how in the hell you gonna love somebody else?”
Phrases and quotes might only be a collection of words, but we all know that words have power. A recent example could be a dad’s advice for first-time fathers. But wisdom has no age, as evidenced by a 4-year-old’s golden self-confidence advice.
RuPaul says his iconic catchphrase constantly
Though drag queen RuPaul has been a firm staple of queer culture for decades, and is arguably one of the driving forces behind early LGBTQ recognition, he was thrust into the limelight in 2009 thanks to his show, RuPaul’s Drag Race.
There are now over 16 seasons, several All-Stars projects, countless international versions, and over 600 drag queens in its roster. Anyone who has watched the show should recognize the phrase “If you don’t love yourself, how in the hell you gonna love somebody else”, which RuPaul usually follows with, “Can I get an amen?”
While the phrase seems simple enough, the 63-year-old author and TV host went into detail on his TikTok account. The video has since racked up 1.1 million views and 180k likes.
“Let’s break that down,” he told his followers. “What does that actually mean? Simply put, you can’t give away something that you don’t have, and finding out how to love yourself is a whole other thing.”
Though the 14-time Emmy winner was not certain where he first heard the phrase, he theorized that it was born from watching comedian Flip Wilson.
Essentially, you can’t effectively love another person if you haven’t learned how to love the most important person in your life, yourself!
RuPaul added: “I think the first place to start in learning to love yourself starts with that kid inside of you who is so thirsty and needs so much love.
“You can give that to that kid, and that is where you start. And it doesn’t stop there, as I said you have to continuously fill that void and find out what you like. Find out what makes you happy.”
Mother is mothering, and fans are hearing it
Fans loved RuPaul’s explanation, so much so that one person claimed he had “solved” their issues and left them with a sense of calm.
“Idk why but I just think Ru was like a healing witch or something in a past life. He just has that healing energy,” one person said.
“‘You cant give away something that you dont have’ damn, that part might have changed me,” someone said.
A third wrote: “Ru I started watching Drag Race in 2020 when I was going through the worst breakup/time of my life. I didn’t know who I was. The first time I heard you say it, it made me want to get to know myself.”
