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The world loves Lizzo. And what?s not to love? From killer performances at the VMAs to her ?Cuz I Love You? album cover where she appears nude, Lizzo is the epitome of being comfortable in one?s skin. Her songs encourage people to stand up for themselves and not to settle. She shimmers with self-love and is unapologetically fat.
And yet, too many people support a fat woman like Lizzo but don?t show up for the fat people in their daily lives. Oh sure, Lizzo?s fantastic when she?s on stage in a bright yellow bodysuit and they#100percentthatbitch and dance along with her at a concert, but then turn around the next day and start to just as long as body positivity. ?I?m body positive?just as long as you?re healthy? or ?I?m all for body positivity?.just as long as you aren?t obese.?
You don?t get to have it both ways. Either you support all fat people, or you don?t. Either you believe it?s okay for all fat people to be happy in their bodies or you don?t. Yes, that includes Lizzo but also fat people who make you uncomfortable.
Supporting Lizzo?s messages of body positivity and fat liberation isn?t the problem. The problem is believing that supporting Lizzo lets you off the hook for supporting other fat people. Because Lizzo? She?s fine. She?s doing okay. She doesn?t need anyone speaking up for her.
Meanwhile, there is an entire community of fat people living in a world that hates fat people. We are the ones that need advocates. We are the ones that need our thin friends and families to speak up against fatphobia when it affects us. Because it does. Every single day.
Know what the world doesn?t need? Performative advocacy. We don?t need thin people to compliment Lizzo and her bodysuits and then look at another fat woman and say, ?She should not be wearing that.? We don?t need thin people to tell us how great it is that there are body positive women like Lizzo and then in the next breath say, ?Oh, you?re not fat, you?re beautiful!?
I just took a DNA test, turns out I?m 100 percent that fat bitch who didn?t say I was ugly.
If you are going to love Lizzo and champion her messages of body positivity, make sure you are also championing the other fat people you know.
Don?t be that thin person who is great until you gotta be great.
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