This morning, Lizzo was trending on social media because of a TikTok she posted showing her doing JJ Smith’s green smoothie cleanse. The 10-day Smoothie Detox is one of many cleanse-related diets that have been condemned by health experts for false advertising and promoting unhealthy eating habits. The word ‘detox’ is misleading they say, a working kidney and liver will do that job for you. Lizzo doing a detox then for her 12million followers has, you guessed it, got her ‘cancelled’.
Now, it’s a complicated issue. Many of the people disappointed in Lizzo are rightfully critiquing toxic diet cultures, worried about her young audience being influenced and the many women with histories of disordered eating that may be triggered by the post. Many are other plus size women, worried about the fatphobia they’ll experience if Lizzo’s actions are exploited by a system that perpetuates fatphobia. All of these feelings are valid and deserve nuanced conversation, but what they should not result in is Lizzo being ‘cancelled’.
First of all, it’s important not to misinterpret Lizzo’s TikTok as her attempting to lose weight. She may be, sure, but as far as the public is aware this is just one of many ‘What I Eat In A Day’ video’s Lizzo has posted for months in order to show people that no matter what size she is, she eats healthy. This detox video may not be healthy, of course, but it’s part of a series of content she does not to promote weight loss but to showcase that being bigger doesn’t necessarily mean a person is eating unhealthily.
Lizzo all but confirmed her intention with the juice cleanse wasn’t to lose weight in a later TikTok, responding to the backlash. ‘I did the 10-day smoothie detox and as you know I would normally be so afraid and ashamed to post things like this online because I feel like as a big girl people just expect that if you are doing something for health you’re doing it for a dramatic weight loss and that is not the case,’ she said.
‘In reality, November stressed me the fuck out. I drank a lot, I ate a lot of spicy things that fucked by stomach up,’ she explained. ‘I’m so proud of my results, my sleep has improved, my hydration, my inner peace, my mental stability, my body, my skin, the whites of my eyes… I got exactly what I wanted out of it and every big girl should do whatever they want with their body.’
Her explanation has received support, ultimately encouraging people to add some nuance to their public commentary instead of it the instant reaction to ‘cancel’ her.
Because, when it comes to holding someone accountable for what you deem harmful to other people, it’s important to think before you tweet. Lizzo is not only a bigger woman, but a Black woman that already receives endless hate and commentary about her appearance. She has to deal with her body being treated an object open to the public, weaponised by fatphobes and fat activists alike at times. Just look at the varying reaction to Adele or Rebel Wilson’s weight loss. Yes, they’re picked apart too, but you didn’t see Adele cancelled when she lost weight relatively quickly – nor Rebel for choosing to document her process online.
Ultimately, whether she has a big platform or not, she doesn’t owe anyone anything – particularly, people who experience much greater privilege than she does. Many activists who condemned her have noted this, saying they don't condone cancelling Lizzo and their valid opinions shouldn't be used against her specifically, just the system that perpetuates fatphobia.
Her experience of the world, coupled with her fame, means the majority of us will never understand what it’s like to be in her position and how her relationship with her body impacts her life. When we understand that, we can apply empathy to her situation and realise: cancelling Lizzo is not the answer.
What’s more important to talk about, rather than Lizzo’s weight loss or body, which is truly no one else’s business, is how we can support bigger women and engage in conversations about diet culture or disordered eating without piling on the hated to one woman who is certainly not responsible for a capitalist system that has existed for decades. Even if you believe Lizzo is wrong, she should be considered a victim to toxic diet culture, not the cause – she should be treated with empathy, not hate.
So before you tweet your condemnation of Lizzo, think.
Read More:
Lizzo Is Right – We Shouldn’t Call People "Brave" For Loving Their Bodies
Lizzo Has Something Important To Say About Being A Bigger Woman In Fashion