I often joke around saying that Dua Lipa has everything I’ve ever wanted in life tripled. Now, I have no desire to be a pop star. However, it somehow feels like that's the least interesting thing about her. Besides the financial aspect and the fact that I can’t leave work and travel around the world like her, I realized there are simple ways to adopt the Dua Lipa lifestyle and mindset. If you’re interested in a more literal dissection of living a Dua life, @duadupes on Instagram dissects her closet, skincare, makeup, and more to find affordable "alternatives".
After being accused of spending 11 months out of the year on vacation, Dua Lipa came out and said she travels for work when she’s touring, but she makes the conscious decision to live life every day "like a holiday." This simple outlook on life can grant you more happiness and calmness amidst a busy work life. Like, instead of looking at touring as a grueling job, Dua Lipa takes it as a chance to explore the cuisine, club scene, and culture of a city. She opened up her own library and does yoga on a paddleboard on the ocean. Here’s a list of simple choices over luxury that follow said outlook and can help you adopt her lifestyle!
Engage With The World Around You
Promoting knowledge and culture, Dua Lipa has spoken about the importance of learning about the world around you to help you stay grounded, explore, and learn about cultures apart from your own. Being actively engaged in the world of traveling, this principle might come more easily to Dua and in a more tangible way. However, there are still ways of staying connected to the world around you without leaving your home, like trying different and diverse cuisines in your own city, following travel blogs, watching videos on YouTube, and even something as simple as keeping up with the latest foreign films. But still try to travel as often as you can; even if it’s not a luxurious vacation, it can be a day trip to the beach or a hiking trail! And if you find yourself on a different side of the world, here are some of Dua’s recommendations and go-to spots as a traveling connoisseur:
Explore Local Restaurants, Bars, and Clubs
Another way we can come a little closer to "engaging with the world around you" is by exploring our own local bars and restaurants. Rather than looking for the most visually pleasing or trendy new spot in town, try to prioritize walking around your city (especially your own neighborhood) and supporting people and small businesses in your community. Start looking at cooking, walking, and eating as a recreational experience. And in a true Dua Lipa fashion, get adventurous and try new meals and cocktails that elevate the experience! Especially in New York, people line up and join hour-long waitlists to get into the latest popular restaurant or club. But it’s truly in the most unexpected, non-flashy spots that won’t even show up on Google Maps that you’ll find the best meal, drink, or party of your life. So go out there and explore!
Read As Much As You Can (Bonus Points If You Get A Library Card!)
Founder of what’s deemed one of the best celebrity book clubs, Dua’s Service95 book club has encouraged a lot of people to start reading more. Apart from her great taste and knowledge in books, her interviews with authors are always standouts because of her ability to read closely and critically, which then allows her to ask incredibly thoughtful questions. Reading is cool, and she definitely makes it look even cooler! But it’s truly one of the most important tools we have for empathy and human understanding. Reading makes you more attractive because it provides you with a deeper sense of the world and others -- as Dua calls it, the "antidote to otherness". So indeed, reading more and getting a library card are one of the most beneficial and accessible ways for you to gain a closer insight into Dua Lipa’s mindset and ask and learn questions about said books and the people behind them (bonus points if you join Dua’s book club).
Prioritize Wellness Over Beauty Standards
I have to start by saying that comparison is indeed the thief of joy, and beauty is subjective, and the true one comes from within. But it’s no secret that celebrities are constantly under pressure to abide by a certain beauty standard, currently resulting in extreme thinness or overdoing "beauty" procedures. But at least, from an outsider's point of view, it seems that Dua Lipa always puts wellness, health, and joy first. I add "joy" to that list because she’s notorious for loving partying, drinking, and even smoking, which might not be a part of everyone’s perfect ideal of health. However, she seems to have found a balance that works for her lifestyle and allows her to live an active life, eat delicious food, dance, and look incredibly strong. Restrictions and trying to fit into an unattainable beauty standard can cloud our minds and weigh heavily on us, so finding a way to prioritize wellness and happiness by taking care of your skin, finding fun workout classes, lying outside in the sun, and eating delicious food and drinks is a perfect way to adopt a more Dua lifestyle and live more freely.
Practice Mindfulness and Yoga
Even if it isn’t on a paddleboard in the middle of the sea, finding the time for your body and mind is incredibly important and something that I’ve personally found with the practice of yoga. An active participant in her yoga practice, Dua Lipa has managed to stay consistent and grow stronger through this physical movement, but it’s also a mental workout. Practicing mindfulness and awareness helps you beyond the yoga mat because it’s something that can help you stay grounded when you’re dealing with the outside world -- in Dua’s case, fame and criticism. I have found a home in yoga because it challenges every part of you, and I do think it gives you a level of satiation and tranquility that can help transform your everyday life into a more "vacation state". Therefore, whether it be yoga, Pilates, running, or cycling, I think it’s always important to work on having a mind/body connection and having inner peace to deal with the world outside of you. By Dua’s example:
every place dua lipa hit a yoga pose — a thread pic.twitter.com/AIN9gIYQ9w
Work Hard, Play Hard
As I’ve mentioned throughout the article, one of the most well-known things about Dua Lipa, and something that I really admire, is that she has fun. She is a dedicated artist, writing, recording, rehearsing, and touring much more often than we’re led to believe. So, despite living life to the fullest, traveling, and staying out late dancing, she’s an incredibly hard worker, and I think that’s what it's all about. We might not all be performing on a stage to thousands of people or working a perfect 9-5, but finding your own way of adopting this principle and balance can help you lead a more joyful and lighthearted life even when dealing with real issues.
So be curious and ask thoughtful questions and treat every day like a holiday. Manifest love and dance until the sun comes up. Socialize and treat everything as a celebration, take pictures, savor your food, work on your stamina, read, and find things that make you happy. So when you see Dua Lipa out living her best life, you’re no longer envious because you're just as happy with yours.
