In an essay on Substack, the singer opens up about her personal health journey and reflects on how perceptions of body positivity are changing in modern times. On this occasion, Lizzo addresses directly everyone who comments and challenges her body transformation, stressing that her relationship to her body is a personal matter.
The author of the song “Truth Hurts” has been publicly sharing the process of improving her health for years, and in the text published on November 24, she looks back on the public’s violent reactions to her weight loss. At the same time, she analyzes broader social changes that have led to a re-examination of the meaning and goals of the body positivity movement.
The singer admitted she faced a lot of criticism and negative comments after losing weight, especially because, for years, she had been recognized as an artist who promoted self-acceptance through music. However, she points out that her personality has never been driven by the desire to fit into the ideal of thinness.
She emphasizes that her body will never fit the classic standards of “thinness”, nor is that a goal she’s aiming for. She says she will forever carry the physical consequences of being a woman who lived with a heavier weight – and that she sees it as strength, identity, and reason to be proud, even when society doesn’t accept it.
Speaking about the reasons for the changes in her appearance, Lizzo revealed that at the end of 2023, she was going through an extremely difficult psychological period. After becoming the target of severe accusations and a public lynching, she noticed symptoms of depression and struggled with dark thoughts. It is a lawsuit brought against her by former dancers, alleging inappropriate behavior and poor working conditions. However, the singer completely rejected these accusations.
The singer described the period when she began to lose touch with herself, indulging in self-criticism and neglecting her own personality. Then, without a clear intention to change her appearance, she found comfort in Pilates, and changes in her body weight came as a spontaneous consequence of the training.
Through her work with therapists, she came to a crucial insight – her weight for tears had a deeper meaning than just a physical category. It represented protection, a zone of safety, and even a symbol of strength that helped her cope with life’s challenges. For her, weight was a record of time and a carrier of accumulated energy, which she decided to release at one point to give herself room for change.
Since then, Lizzo has also changed her perception of weight loss. Instead of talking about the pounds as something lost, she began to see them as a conscious release – a process of unburdening, not giving up.
“We live in a time where bigger girls lose weight because they’re tired of being judged. And then those same women are criticized for changing, even by the community that they once empowered”, Lizzo wrote. “There’s nothing wrong with someone living in a bigger body. There’s nothing wrong with a woman being fuller. But if a woman wants to change, she should be allowed to”.
For Lizzo, the change was primarily internal – she wanted to feel better in her own body.
“I’ve been carrying so many burdens ever since my father passed away in 2009. Years passed during which I stayed in toxic and abusive relationships, starting in 2011. And since 2016, I’ve been taking care of my family alone. I finally wanted to let go of it all and be free”, the singer admitted.
Lizzo, who still weighs over 200 pounds, noted that she has put a lot of thought into how she portrays her journey to health to the public.
“I didn’t reveal how much weight I lost as I didn’t want anyone else to feel the pressure”, she wrote.
The singer also noted that the body positivity movement, which she has always believed in, has changed significantly over the years.
“Body positivity gave me wings and allowed me to fly to the heights. But as the movement grew, it became a big business and a brand for everyone. And when something becomes ‘for everyone’, the people it was originally created for are left out and misunderstood. That’s not for us anymore,” Lizzo honestly admitted.
Reflecting on the state of body positivity today, Lizzo noted how the rise in popularity of diet pills has affected how society perceives beauty and changed the standard of beauty. She also noticed that larger sizes are no longer available and that plus-size models are getting less and less attention and involvement in the fashion industry.
“We still have a lot of work ahead of us to correct the consequences of this trend and to restore the values of the body positivity movement,” she wrote. “I personally have a lot of work to do to restore confidence in the movement.”
However, the singer emphasized that she remains proud of her body.
“I love myself as much as I’ve always loved myself, regardless of the number of pounds. Of course, there are those among us who used the movement for personal gain or fame, and when it no longer suited them, they turned their backs on it. That’s okay, as the movement was never about them – It’s about us,” Lizzo concluded.
