2019 was a big year for singer-songwriter Lizzo, who was named one of the biggest breakout stars of the year by Forbes magazine. Known for her empowering songs about self love and positivity, Lizzo has preached about the importance of self confidence and feeling good in your own skin. 

Unfortunately, not everyone has gotten her message about positivity, as many public figures have made incredibly degrading and rude comments about Lizzo’s weight and body since she entered the public eye. Just recently, celebrity trainer Jillian Michaels commented on Lizzo’s weight, saying that we shouldn’t be celebrating the singer’s body because “it isn’t going to be fun if she gets diabetes.”

So, let’s get this straight. 

In a conversation about health and self-love, Micheals decided to bring up Lizzo and use the singer to validate her argument, which was that heavier people shouldn’t be represented in magazines and photoshoots, as it would promote obesity. 

Wow. 

There’s a lot to unpack there, but first I’d like to tackle this whole theory that Lizzo is the most overweight, unhealthy singer out there, especially because Jillian Micheals is far from being the only person who has made such comments about Lizzo. 

There’s this largely accepted idea that because Lizzo is on the heavier side, she is unhealthy. But, anyone who really thinks that hasn’t considered the fact that Lizzo has been touring for the better half of the last year. That means that she has been getting up on stage, singing, playing the flute, and dancing for almost three hours, every weekend for months on end. 

That’s no easy task, and no unhealthy person would be able to keep that up, especially for as long as Lizzo has. In fact, there are many singers out there who weigh much less than Lizzo that have complained about the physical toll playing shows every night takes on them, including stars like Justin Beiber. 

Beiber actually cancelled half of his Purpose World Tour in 2017, saying that he was physically exhausted and needed a break. However, no one’s ever complained on national television about his health.. Which makes you wonder, why are we paying so much attention to Lizzo’s body and health?

Now, many argue that it’s because Lizzo is overweight and Beiber is not, however if that was really true, then why aren’t we asking DJ Khaled about his weight and chastising him about his health?  

The truth is that the body shaming that Lizzo is going through is a plain double standard for women in the public eye. There’s so much pressure on female musicians, actresses, and models to look a certain way and maintain a certain weight, and that bleeds into everyday life and impacts the way young girls see themselves. This double standard is dangerous, and can cause eating disorders and severe confidence issues. 

There are so many instances of women being negatively impacted by the expectation to look a certain way. Last year actress Elle Fanning passed out at the Cannes Film festival as a result of not eating the whole day and wearing a tight corset, and just last week Taylor Swift opened up about having an eating disorder for the majority of her twenties. Swift cited the magazine covers that commented on her weight from a young age, and explained how they impacted her self esteem in a negative way. 

It’s time to stop the body shaming and reevaluate the way we treat people who aren’t the conventional skinny model we’re so used to seeing. Quite frankly, it’s none of your business to speculate about a singer’s health, even if that singer is on the heavier side. 

Lizzo makes great, empowering music, and deserves the success she has achieved in the last year, and her weight or what you think of her body doesn’t change that. I’m not saying that everyone should drop what they’re doing and become Lizzo’s biggest fan, but what you think of her and the way you treat her shouldn’t be affected by how much she weighs.