Lizzo Just Opened Up About Her Relationship with Food and Weight, and Everyone Needs to Hear It
It’s been a big year for Lizzo – the singer just won her first Emmy, dropped her line of bodysuits and announced a new documentary to air on HBO Max. The flutist and dancer is currently on her first arena tour, but the busy schedule isn’t enough to take the focus off her weight rather than her work.
In Vanity Fair’s November cover story, Lizzo opens up about the relentless energy online trolls seem to possess when it comes to criticizing her appearance. Back in 2021, she lashed out on Instagram Live after a user made a racist, fat-phobic comment on one of her posts. “Sometimes I feel like the world just doesn’t love me anymore,” she said on the broadcast. Speaking about the comments on Vanity Fair, Lizzo said she’s not going to reveal exactly what the commenter said – “and then people will know what really hurt me,” she explained.
Related:Lizzo Celebrates Emmy Win with Inspiring Speech: “This Is for the Big Girls”
“People have been calling me fat my whole life, but this is the first time I’ve seen someone insult my looks, who I am, and my music all rolled into one, and it really hurts me,” she said. “If one person says that and another person says that, it can multiply like a virus. If enough people on the Internet start commenting on you, it becomes a part of your public image and is out of your control .”
Devaluing someone down to their appearance is bad enough, but when that behavior is combined with the racism and vitriol that always seems to find its way to Lizzo, it can become even more harmful. If people end up conflating their personal feelings about Lizzo’s weight with her music, her point is clear: “I don’t care!” she says.
Related: Lizzo Is Tired of People’s ‘Big Girl’ Stereotypes: ‘I’m a Body Icon’
As for her personal health, the rising star says she feels great – both mentally and physically. She has been eating a vegan diet since 2020 and has developed a healthy relationship with food and weight that she hopes others will internalize.
“I live a very healthy lifestyle – mentally, spiritually, and I try to keep everything in my body super clean. Health is a priority for me wherever it leads me ……,” she told Vanity Fair. “It sucks that we associate weight gain with the negative factors that cause it. It takes something beautiful like food and mixes it together and nourishes ourselves with it, but the bad thing is the stress, not the 20 pounds. I feel lucky because I don’t feel like weight gain is bad anymore.”
Thinking about food in terms of fun and nutrition is a very healthy way to think about your eating patterns. Some people choose to think about it in terms of intuitive eating-listening to your body’s signs about hunger and satiety and rethinking any negative, rigid rules you’ve had about eating in the past. It can be a mentally and nutritionally healthy way to approach your plate, especially if you try to eat a variety of foods, including proteins, fruits, vegetables, healthy fats and grains.
But no matter how you choose to eat – or how others choose to eat – we at EatingWell know that it’s not helpful to share unsolicited advice or opinions about other people’s health or appearance online. If you don’t want anyone talking about you, it’s best not to talk about anyone else.
