Lizzo is tired of everyone talking about her body – and we are too

Written by Leah Sinclair

During a recent performance, the star took a moment to address those who have been speaking about her recently.

Whether we’re talking about the launch of Yitty, her inclusive shapewear brand or her latest brilliant album, it’s safe to say that Lizzo is one of the stars of the moment – but there is one conversation that consistently surrounds Lizzo that both we and the star are tired of.

Discussions around Lizzo’s body have plagued her career since she rose to prominence in 2016 – and despite the many landmark achievements within that career (she most recently played a 200-year-old crystal flute belonging to the fourth US president and founding father James Madison) she continues to have to deal with people talking about her body in a derogatory manner.

At a recent concert in Toronto, the singer took a moment to address those who have been speaking about her recently. 

The 34-year-old singer told her audience: “I feel like everybody in America got my mother****ing name in their mother****ing mouth for no mother****ing reason.

“I’m minding my fat Black beautiful business.”

She then jokingly asked: “Can I stay here? Who can I marry for that dual citizenship.”

Her statement comes after Kanye West recently made comments about the star’s body in an interview with Tucker Carlson. He said: “When Lizzo loses 10 pounds and announces it, the bots … on Instagram, they attack her losing weight, because the media wants to put out a perception that being overweight is the new goal when it’s actually unhealthy. It’s demonic.”

In August, comedian Aries Spears also commented on Lizzo’s weight. “I can’t get past the fact that she looks like the s**t emoji.”he said in an interview with The Art of Dialogue in August.

“She’s got a very pretty face, but she keeps showing her body off. Like, come on, yo.”

Lizzo responded while on stage at the MTV VMAs that month and said: “And now, for b*****s that got something to say about me in the press.

“You know what? I’m not going to say nothing. They be like, ‘Lizzo why don’t you clap back? Why don’t you clap back?’ Cause, b***h, I’m winning, hoe! Big b***h is winning, ho! Best revenge is your paper, b***h.”

The level of vitriol that Lizzo faces for simply existing and loving herself unapologetically is representative of how society continues to treat plus-size women and particularly Black, plus-size women.

The idea that someone may truly love themselves and be happy the way they are can be so unfathomable to some that they feel a need to declare their disdain at any and every chance they get – and it’s nothing short of cruel to project your own beliefs onto someone else who is happy, living and thriving in who they are.

For a woman who consistently raises the bar with her art and spreads nothing but joy, the hatred she faces on a day-to-day basis is difficult to comprehend, especially at the scale and level of fame Lizzo has. 

You can only imagine how many comments she has encountered on Instagram and YouTube videos or comments made about her on a public forum that she seemingly ignores. It’s something that would take a toll on anyone, and yet, people feel so entitled to do so with little compassion for how it may affect her.

In an Instagram Live video last summer, Lizzo addressed this. She said: “On days when I should be the happiest, I just feel so down. People saying s**t about me that just doesn’t even make sense. It’s fat-phobic, and it’s racist and it’s hurtful. If you don’t like my music, cool. If you don’t like Rumors the song, cool. But a lot of people don’t like me because of the way I look. “

She added: “For the most part it doesn’t hurt my feelings. I don’t care. I just think when I’m working this hard, my tolerance gets lower.”

“I’m putting so much loving energy into the world… sometimes I feel the world don’t love me back.”

Lizzo’s comments back then were valid – and the treatment she continues to receive proves that they unfortunately haven’t changed much.

In a year that has seen Lizzo launch a new fashion venture and win her very first Emmy, those achievements still aren’t the focal point for some who can’t get past the fact that she dares show her body, be happy and spread joy – and it’s disheartening.

Visibility and representation of all bodies are important and the fact that the representation of one type of body results in these types of comments merely reminds us that we’re not as far as we maybe thought.

The body positivity movement has done wonders for representation as we see a wide variety of body shapes in media and everyday life. And while the attitudes towards the movement and the people within it continue to be marred by naysayers, Lizzo continues to prove that there is no place for that here, no matter how many times you try to put her down – and we are 100% here for it.

Image: Getty

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