Lizzo has long been considered a champion of the body positivity movement.
However, that perception may have shifted for some of her dedicated fans when she lost weight. In a recent interview with Andy Cohen for SiriusXM, the “Love in Real Life” singer explained why she still considers herself part of the body positivity conversation and argued that the term isn’t just another way to say “fat.”
“The body positivity movement was very political and it got taken and kind of commercialized—and now body positivity to people is code word for fat,” Lizzo told Cohen.
“So they’re like, ‘Oh she’s not body positive anymore.’ I’m not fat anymore,” she continued. “But I’m still body positive because the body positive movement was actually created by a sub-group of people who were not put in the media, who were not praised, who were told we shouldn’t exist and we weren’t good enough because our bodies were bigger or disabled or even queer and trans people.”
“We were all a part of … the most recent wave like the 2016 era,” she added. “It was about me bucking against society telling me I shouldn’t exist, I shouldn’t wear leotards and I shouldn’t like how I look.”
Earlier this year, the 36-year-old hit her weight loss target, sharing that her body mass index had dropped by over 10 points and she’d lost 16 percent of her body fat. Rumors spread that she’d used Ozempic to help shed pounds, which she denied—and even poked fun at by dressing as a tube of ‘LizzOzempic’ for Halloween.
Last September, in a more candid and open conversation with The New York Times, Lizzo said she’s learning to embrace her body.
“The idea of body positivity, it’s moved away from the antiquated mainstream conception,” she said. “It’s evolved into body neutrality.”
She added, “I’m not going to lie and say I love my body every day. The bottom line is, the way you feel about your body changes every single day. There are some days I adore my body, and others when I don’t feel completely positive.”
