Lizzo Takes Charge of Her Body Narrative
At the 2025 Met Gala, Lizzo stunned in a custom Christian Siriano ensemble, perfectly in line with the event’s theme. However, a quick Google search of her name reveals that instead of focusing on her fashion choices, most headlines are fixated on her weight. Headlines like “Lizzo Looks Stunning, Shows Off Weight Loss at Met Gala in Figure-Hugging Gown” or “Slimmed-Down Lizzo Sports Platinum Blond Look at Met Gala 2025” dominate the conversation. Despite Lizzo’s continuous efforts to shift the dialogue about her weight, emphasizing body positivity in interviews and essays advocating for self-acceptance, the media once again reduced her to a weight-related headline at the Met Gala.
It’s undeniable that Lizzo has undergone a weight transformation in recent years, sharing glimpses of her journey on social media and revealing in January that she had achieved her weight release goal. While acknowledging her journey in a positive light may seem appropriate, given her history of promoting body positivity and empowerment for all body types, Lizzo has been deliberate in her choice of words. She refers to her transformation as “weight release” rather than “weight loss,” careful not to glorify her new body at the expense of her former self.
In a candid interview with Jay Shetty on his On Purpose podcast, Lizzo expressed her intentionality in her language, mindful of the impact her words could have on her fans. She remains conscious of her role as a plus-sized pop star and her influence in inspiring women to embrace their bodies. She is adamant about not perpetuating diet culture and maintaining her identity as a proud fat woman, as evidenced by her tweet declaring her purpose to share her story of triumph.
Navigating this journey is complex, particularly for fans who have long admired Lizzo’s message of self-love regardless of size. It can be challenging to reconcile her public acknowledgment of weight transformation with her previous messages of body acceptance. Yet, it’s crucial to understand that Lizzo’s intent is not to align herself with harmful weight-related narratives, making it disappointing to see headlines continue to focus on her weight loss despite her efforts to control her own story.
Despite Lizzo’s earnest attempts to reclaim her narrative – from celebrating herself to framing her journey as weight release – the media narrative remains fixated on her weight, a reminder that thinness still prevails as the prevailing beauty standard. The day after the Met Gala, discussions about Lizzo’s weight release are overshadowed by outdated ideals of beauty, highlighting the ongoing struggle to challenge societal expectations and celebrate body diversity.
The term has not yet been widely embraced in popular culture, but it will not become normalized until we fully accept it, just as we did with fat liberation and body neutrality. Now is the perfect time to begin this process.
