Lizzo, the 37-year-old singer, has expressed her deep concern that the rise of weight-loss drugs has led to the "erasure" of plus-sized women from the mainstream. Despite her own pride in being a "proud big girl" weighing over 200 pounds, she is concerned about the impact of the "Ozempic boom" on the fashion industry.
In a personal essay shared on Substack, Lizzo wrote, "We're halfway through the decade, and extended sizes are being magically erased from websites. Plus-sized models are no longer getting booked for modeling gigs. And all of our big girls are not-so-big anymore." She emphasized that her love for herself is unwavering, regardless of the scale's reading.
The "Good As Hell" hitmaker also pointed out that some people may have embraced the body positivity movement "for financial gain or fame," and she is keen to drive the message away from "commercial slop." She continued, "There may be some bad actors amongst us. Some people may have used the movement for financial gain or fame, and once it no longer served them, they abandoned it. That's okay; it was never about them anyway."
Lizzo acknowledged that there is still much work to be done to undo the effects of the Ozempic boom and regain the trust of the movement that gave her wings. She added, "What do we do? We continue to have conversations. We continue to hold each other accountable. We release ourselves from the illusion that there is only good and bad. We reintroduce nuance into our discussions."
The singer also shared her personal struggles with being typecast as a "mammy" due to her size. She explained, "People could not see my talent as a musician because they were too busy accusing me of making 'being fat' my whole personality. I had to actively work against 'mammy' tropes by being hypersexual and vulgar because being a mammy by definition is being desexualized."
Lizzo concluded, "That's the reality that nobody wants to talk about. We're in an era where the bigger girls are getting smaller because they're tired of being judged." Her words serve as a powerful reminder that the fight for body positivity and inclusivity is ongoing and requires continuous effort from everyone involved.
