For fat women, Lizzo is more than just an extremely gifted musician. Lizzo, a plus-size, flute-playing artist, is the embodiment of unapologetic. She raps about being sexually satisfied and being worthy of adoration, and she does it all while flaunting her cellulite. In a society that idolizes and capitalizes on white thinness, Lizzo is nothing short of revolutionary.
And some people cannot stand it.
In a tearful Instagram Live following the release of her 'Rumors' single with Cardi B, Lizzo openly addressed the "racist" and "fat-phobic" remarks she endured through social media.
The critiques hurled at her ranged from criticizing her body to accusing her of playing a "mammy" role in the music video. The "mammy" accusation is particularly sinister, as it refers to a racist trope of heavy, Black women being happy to be subservient to white people.
After working so hard to create music she is proud of, Lizzo noted that this round of hatred was particularly "hurtful," and during her statement she made a particular point that truly hit home.
“These people who are saying this are probably the same people who are mad when I'm being hyper sexual and the mammy trope is actually completely desexualized,” Lizzo said in her Live. “So it can't both be true — make it make sense. I really think people are just mad to see a fat Black woman that makes pop music and is happy.”
Black plus-size women have a unique struggle, and as a fat white woman I only understand a small portion of it.
There is a level of scrutiny and pressure I will never understand. But what I can tell you with absolute certainty is Lizzo's experience with outside criticism is universal for fat women – even non-famous ones.
Existing, for fat women, is apparently the only prerequisite needed to be subjected to a barrage of opinions. And if a fat woman's existence on the internet includes any form of joy, it is particularly attacked.
From the time we are children we're taught that to be fat is to be sad.
In every kid's show and sitcom from the '80s and '90s, we watched the miserable fat trope play out. Whether it was a flashback to a time when a character was fat (hello Monica from Friends) or a dream sequence where the character faced their "worst fear" of being fat, the message was the same: Fatness as a whole is misery. When you are fat, you cannot possibly be successful in your career. You cannot be actually desired. You cannot possibly be healthy or thriving. Being fat is a failure, and when we see fat women succeeding while being fat, it turns our reality upside down.
And do you know why? Because if people, particularly women and even more succinctly BIPOC women, realized they could be joyful in the body they have, several capitalistic industries would crumble.
According to Business Wire, the diet and weight-loss industry was valued at $71 billion in 2019. Weight stigma permeates so many industries, including public health.
Many larger people are dismissed in diagnoses, resulting in mistreatment and in some cases even death. The fat-phobia Lizzo and so many other women experience isn't just mean — it's deadly. And facing that reality means a lot has to change both publicly and introspectively.
Watching fat women thrive in their personal and professional lives forces people to face realities about themselves they try to bury.
If true happiness and success don't depend on being in a socially acceptable body, the money and energy these "haters" have poured into meeting society's expectations are for literally nothing.
I've gone through a deep and personal journey with my fat body, and part of that included exposing more of myself to the public. I stopped wearing sleeves in the dead of summer. I wore a bikini to the beach. I even posted a boudoir photo shoot that literally just celebrated my body's capability to be sexy.
And although I received a thousand "yas queens" for the photos I posted, I also received a lot of hate. People regularly told me that I should expect to die at an early age, called me disgusting, likened me to several large animals, and even — most cruelly — suggested I kill myself.
Someone even made an entire fat-phobic video about me on YouTube.
All of this happened to me with my 3k followers on Instagram. Imagine what Lizzo has endured.
Fat women deserve to exist in all spaces unapologetically. Our successes aren't indicative of anything but our talents and our persistence. We all deserve respect and happiness. Our wins don't take away from those of thin people; it only forces thinner people to take an introspective look at their attitudes toward larger people and confront those biases. And #sorrynotsorry if that makes them uncomfortable. It's a worthwhile task to undergo.
Whether Lizzo is in a small body or a big one, her talent is undeniable. She, and many other women like her, shouldn't have to shrink themselves in any capacity for anyone's approval. She deserves joy, and I hope these fools on the internet can let her have it.
