Lizzo

Trigger Warning: discussion of body image, body-shaming and public discourse around weight

and food.

Lizzo has achieved an iconic level of fame both on- and off-stage. While she’s widely

known for her creative songwriting and powerhouse vocals, she’s also been an outspoken

advocate for body acceptance and positivity, and her inclusive approach to engaging with these

issues has often thrust her into the spotlight as as an emblem of something that shouldn’t be

radical but often is perceived as such: taking up space. In Lizzo’s Theology of the Body, Simcha

Fisher states, “Lizzo is incontrovertibly provocative, but I am not sure it is lust she is trying to

provoke. Instead, she is provoking people to simply… deal with her.”

As a performer who visibly inhabits the intersections of several marginalized identities

(Black, female, fat), she faces complex discrimination and criticism. She’s also publicly refused

to categorize her sexuality in a finite way, rejecting binary concepts of sexual orientation in favor

of a fluid, less defined identity. All of this has helped millions who identify with Lizzo feel more

seen and less alienated. And in the sea of public discourse that surrounds her and her public

image, Lizzo has chosen again and again to double down on her compassionately unapologetic

platform, refusing to dishonor herself or anyone who identifies with her.

One thing Lizzo’s been compelled to engage with repeatedly is the body-shaming and

fatphobic comments she receives about her weight. Many have criticized her for what they

perceive as encouragement of an unhealthy lifestyle, and even though the singer has negated

these claims by explaining her food and exercise practices, she also staunchly defends the fact

that it’s nobody’s business what her weight is, and that everyone deserves respect and privacy.

Her refusal to bend under public pressure and align herself with the destructive culture of

scrutiny and shame, dieting and comparison, has forced us as a society to begin facing our own

discomfort around weight and body image. By rightfully asserting boundaries and practicing self-

acceptance and self-love, critics of Lizzo and her body may be forced to start reckoning with the

question, “why does this bother you so much?”