Lizzo speaks up about body shaming and racism

During a recent interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe and on her Instagram Live, the singer Lizzo opened up about the body shaming and racism she goes through every day.

She talked about the big difference in treatment between thin women and plus-sized women, saying that she was unable to hide her insecurities. Throughout the interview, she made herself very clear when saying, “I feel like fat is the worst thing people can say about me at this point.”

She added, “This is the biggest insecurity. It’s like, ‘How dare a popstar be fat?’ I had to own that. I feel like other people who were put on that pedestal, or who become pop stars, probably have other insecurities, or have other flaws, but they can hide it behind a veneer of being sexy and being marketable. I don’t have the luxury of hiding behind something.”

In the interview, she pointed out the link between her treatment and systemic racism towards Black women. This was to demonstrate that even when she does receive fair treatment, other women like her do not.

This interview was released on 13^th August, which is available on YouTube. Only two days later, on the 15^th, Lizzo took to Instagram and broke down in tears speaking about racist bullying and body shaming.

She said during the live, “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.”

It is very common to see women often sexualised when they are in the public eye. However, it is important to note that just because someone is comfortable in their body or is confident enough to release content that can be ‘revealing’, does not mean that they can become targets for malicious attacks, being sexualised or disrespected in any way.

The response on Twitter has been filled with the public sending a lot of love and support to Lizzo. Many have been saying that these issues should be talked about more, as well as addressed so that people like Lizzo do not have to feel this way.