Lizzo is not in Barbieland anymore.
The Grammy Award-winning singer and musician has found herself at the center of controversy after several of her former backup dancers have accused her of sexual harassment and mistreatment – but it isn’t the noise of her haters that has left the internet in shock. Instead, it’s the lively reaction from her fanbase and other supporters who have found themselves grieving over the loss of Lizzo’s carefully constructed good-natured persona.
In case you’ve missed the news, the “Truth Hurts” singer is being sued, along with her Big Grrrl production company and dance captain Shirlene Quigley, by three former employees – Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams and Noelle Rodriguez — for creating a hostile work environment.
Davis, who was hired after competing in Lizzo’s Prime Video dance reality series, claims Lizzo and her choreographer made “thinly veiled” comments about her weight numerous times. Later, in an interview with Insider, Davis described being so afraid of taking a break while rehearsing that she lost control of her bladder and soiled herself on stage.
Lizzo, a consistent advocate for plus-size bodies, was called out by the plaintiffs’ attorney, Ron Zambrano, who said in a statement, “The stunning nature of how Lizzo and her management team treated their performers seems to go against everything Lizzo stands for publicly.”
But here’s the thing: Lizzo’s fanbase isn’t the same as, say, Johnny Depp’s or Taylor Swift’s, both of whom have supporters who are quick to jump to their defenses and absolve them of any wrongdoing, even when proven guilty. Also, Lizzo had never been publicly problematic enough to elicit strong feelings of hate, for reasons aside from the nonsense commentary on her body. Now, she has left her community duped by the recent events, feeling neither inclined to “cancel” her, nor jump to her defense.
“I think we are all aware that the world of ‘celebrity’ can be a fickle one, and that not every public figure is going to be perfect, but it’s okay to give grace to those who are shocked over what’s happened over the past 24 hours,” tweeted content creator Stephanie Yeboah in regards to the situation. “There are communities of people who felt seen, and appreciated the safe space and sense of community that Lizzo offered. The allegations will, of course, come as a huge shock for those of us who appreciated the visibility she provided for fat people.”
To give credit where it’s due, Lizzo has clearly succeeded in creating a community that cares about acceptance, diversity, and body positivity. But what has become abundantly clear over the past few days is the same community prioritizes those things above talent and optics.
Quiana Fulton, creator of the “What’s Good Polly?” podcast focused on the intersection of politics and culture, was shocked to hear of the allegations. “I was like, ‘This can’t be true. It doesn’t add up with her public persona or image,’” Fulton told Decider. “There’s got to be more to the story.”
Following news of the lawsuit, others have come forward with their negative experiences working with Lizzo. One notable example is Oscar-nominated director Sophia Nahli Allison, who claims to have traveled with Lizzo in 2019 intending to be the director of a documentary about the singer, but ended up walking away after “about 2 weeks” upon feeling disrespected and “gaslit,” as she expressed on Twitter.
On the flip side, Lizzo’s biggest haters are having a field day with the news and have been co-opting the scandal to spew hate about the singer and those who resemble her. Dr. Anansi Wilson, J.D., Ph.D., feels there may be a crossover between these critics and her fans, and that it overall points to a larger political conversation. “Even those who are fans of Lizzo oftentimes hold their tongue about their own disgust when they see her twerking and her body’s out, and what have you, because it’s politically correct to do that,” said Wilson, who goes by they/them pronouns. “[It] becomes an outlet for all these types of disgust and disregard, and the held tongues and silences that people had before.”
What’s changed now is that the lawsuit has given haters permission to strike viciously at Lizzo. “You’re now allowed to discipline this fat, dark-skinned, outspoken, unafraid, Black woman in ways that if you’re Black or if you’re a Black woman, or if you’re a fat Black person, before you would not be able to say publicly without blowback,” Wilson said. “This becomes an outlet for the violence and the disregard in the policing of her body that folks already wanted to do, or even if they didn’t want to do it, were already conditioned to do.”
Haaniyah Angus, cultural critic and founder of the independent online outlet Labaatan, believes the hateful responses may invoke some overdue conversations about stardom. “The automatic response of fat-shaming and calling for death shouldn’t happen in general,” Angus said. “But the comments of disappointment and talking about politics, and deconstructing should happen. It should happen, even if there isn’t a controversy… It is unfortunately a lesson in that celebrity branding is always sometimes just that: branding. It’s not real. It’s to sell things to market things.”
She added, “A lot of times representation can be a force in that you see yourself in something and it makes you feel good for a moment, and then they capitalize on that.”
Fulton, who considers herself a fan of Lizzo, has already felt her view of the popular singer shift, despite making the distinction between public opinion and being “innocent until proven guilty” in a court of law. As for the allegations, she was taken aback by “the audacity” Lizzo seemingly has to fat-shame her dancers while also “getting mad” when people do the same to her, citing occasions where the singer has taken social media breaks after being hurt by hateful comments. “What world are we living in? You can’t fat shame people when we, too, go through those things,” Fulton said.
Beyond fat shaming and cultivating a toxic work environment, Lizzo is also being accused of pressuring her dancers to attend various “sex theaters and nude bars,” per a press release received by Decider. The lawsuit details an incident where Lizzo pressured a former dancer to touch a nude performer despite her vocalized resistance.
Over 48 hours since the lawsuit made headlines, the singer offered a statement to fans, but it contained no admission of guilt or apology. “Sometimes I have to make hard decisions but it’s never my intention to make anyone feel uncomfortable or like they are valued as an important part of the team,” Lizzo wrote. “I am very open with my sexuality and expressing myself but I cannot accept or allow people to use that openness to make me out to be something I am not.”
The singer added, “There is nothing I take more seriously than the respect we deserve as women in the world. I know what it feels like to be body shamed on a daily basis and would absolutely never criticize or terminate an employee because of their weight.”
But is that enough? Lizzo’s statement was not released by the time Decider completed interviews with Angus, Fulton, and Wilson, so they were unable to directly comment. However, Lizzo’s community doesn’t appear satisfied by the statement, and several Twitter users have pointed out that she has hired the same lawyer who represented Depp, Bill Crosby, and Chris Brown, all of whom have been found guilty of violence against women in the court of law and/or public opinion.
Predicting the future of Lizzo’s current situation, Angus was unsure of the unique impact Lizzo’s behavior will have on pop culture and the body positivity movement at large. She wondered what will happen in terms of Lizzo’s many celebrity friendships, as she has cultivated close relationships with A-listers such as Beyoncé, Chris Evans, and Harry Styles. She noted a viral video that depicts Beyoncé omitting Lizzo’s name performing “Break My Soul,” which honors Lizzo alongside Nina Simone and Whitney Houston. “Beyoncé has taken away her approval of Lizzo. Is it going to be Harry [Styles] next? Are other people going to distance themselves slowly? I don’t know if pop culture in general is gonna shift because of it, but I think celebrity relationships and our relationships with celebrities might change. I think people will be a lot more wary going forward.”
Fulton said if Lizzo tries to sweep the lawsuit under the rug, she will no longer “be able to take her seriously… especially in body positivity and anti-bullying” spheres. “If there is truth to these accusations, I would rather her own up to it and be like ‘I messed up. I’m not a perfect person. I realize I need to go and work on myself.’”
While Lizzo has stoked the fire set aflame by her harshest critics and incited feelings of betrayal and distrust in her fanbase, Wilson reminded us that it’s crucial to maintain humanity while navigating these sensitive conversations. “We have to give people grace – whether it’s the dancers and the allegations that they are making, or whether it is Lizzo, herself,” they said. “People have their worst days and they move on, as we do as individuals and we have to remember that celebrities and celebrity staff and dancers and backup dancers are human beings.”
