Lizzo Says She'll "Never Shut Up" About Fatphobia

"Minding your business is *free*," Lizzo reminds us.

Reviewed by Dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RD

Fans of Lizzo have had no shortage of fun content from the pop star over the past few months—she's been out and about on tour for her 2022 album Special, appearing on The Simpsons and, yes, even bringing Elmo out onstage. As always, Lizzo is using her platform to offer empowering messages to her fans, including self-love mantras between songs and encouraging all of us to "free your body."

Still, Lizzo's good energy always faces a backlash from folks on the internet—especially those who regularly have something to say about other people's bodies. But after a recent tour stop in California, Lizzo shared a clip of her stage show reminding folks that she isn't about to give in to her detractors.

Related: Lizzo Is Tired of People's 'Big Girl' Stereotypes: 'I'm a Body Icon'

In the video, Lizzo holds up a sign handed to her from someone in the front row—it reads: "I'm sorry people on Twitter suck. You are beautiful and special." Lizzo posted the clip a couple of days after she took to Twitter to post a thread of rude tweets making fun of her figure. "I literally NEVER search my name, this stuff just comes up on my TL [timeline] and my FYP [For You page], it's wild," she wrote. Then she added: "Being fat isn't my 'brand.' Being fat is what my body looks [like]. That's it. That's all."

Lizzo thanked the audience member for their sign, then got real about how demoralizing social media can be. "I don't just speak up for me, I speak up for everybody," Lizzo says in the clip. "We're all in an age where we can just be attacked by hateful messaging, like comments on social media… It's not normal. This isn't fair, this isn't right."

Related: Lizzo Just Opened Up About Her Relationship with Food and Weight, and Everyone Needs to Hear It

In the caption on Instagram, she wrote that she "will never shut up about how difficult y'all make it for fat people to simply exist," reminding folks that "minding your business is *free*." We'd have to agree with the singer on that front. No one wants to hear unsolicited advice or unkind comments about anything, and especially not their looks. While social media can feel anonymous and impersonal, that's no excuse for being rude.

"You know, somebody tried to tell me, 'It comes with the territory,'" Lizzo adds. "No! This should never come with the territory of being a person, a human being, of existing."

Related: Daphne Oz Just Shared a Sweet body-Positive Take on Swimsuit Season: "Have Fun and Wear the Bikini"

The volume of generally insensitive comments that sometimes appear in Lizzo's feed have gotten high enough that the singer now regularly privatizes her Twitter account, only opening it back up to share occasional treats, like her tribute to the late Tina Turner. We appreciate Lizzo's attempt at protecting her peace, but honestly, she shouldn't have to close herself off from strangers just to avoid hearing their takes on her figure.

Whether the person posting is just being needlessly cruel or covering for their invasiveness by claiming to care about her "health," commenting on a stranger's size is always totally unnecessary. Choosing positivity and kindness when you interact with folks—even on the internet—makes life so much nicer for everyone involved.

Oh, and in case nobody told you today—you're special.