Lizzo's Detox

There's been a lot of talk in the last 24+ hours about Lizzo's IG stories showing off the 10-day detox she did. 
 First and foremost, The Fat Girl Show believes in body autonomy. 
Secondly, as a marginalized community, fat people should never intend to bring someone else down. To that end, to ensure no one is being torn down, The Fat Girl Show is sharing some of the many incredible voices speaking up regarding the situation. We encourage you to check out Saucyé West, Stephanie Yeboah, and Tiffriah Grande. 
Thirdly, while a variety of points are being made regarding the inherent politics put upon celebrities, as well as the difference between body positivity, body neutrality, and fat liberation, a discussion that has yet to be reflected upon is the social media aspect of this all.

Lizzo is a public persona, as such, a lot of people feel she has a responsibilty to her fans. As a famous plus size representative, in addition to her undeniable talent, she built her following by challenging the status quo and shouting about self-love. (My first time hearing her was when she performed Good As Hell live on Samantha Bee's show.) If remembered correctly, she completed her NPR Tiny Desk performance saying something along the lines of "If you can love me, you can love yourself." As someone who made money from being fat and proud, it can be disappointing to now be making money from the opposite. 
Now, it should be common knowledge that celebrities and influencers receive discounts, or even free products, when they promote a company or brand. For the detox, Lizzo used a personal "nutritionist" and a specific brand of smoothie/juice. A fair assumption would be that she received these services with the expectation that she'd promote it on her social media. 

While no one outside the agreement knows what was decided, Lizzo could have just shared before and after images for her clearer skin. She could've even talked about how much better she feels after the 10 days, all of the benefits she enjoyed without promoting weight loss. As Saucye West pointed out in her 22 minute video, the images put out there were triggering, to our community and those with eating disorders, and very much could have used a content warning. ​

That said, what's done is done. Many tried to keep the conversation focused on the real enemies: Diet Culture, Fatphobia, Anti-Fat Bias. Unfortunately, this situation is nuanced and not everyone is ready to dive into it. No matter what happens, Lizzo will always be a Fat Icon (even if she finds herself following the path of Rebel Wilson, Adele, and Jennifer Hudson). She's always welcome here. 

-- Yael Tygiel
@yaeltygiel
​@TheFatGirlShow