Lizzo breaks down in tears after "fatphobic and racist" trolling over new song Rumors

16 August 2021, 12:08

Lizzo breaks down over trolling following the release of Rumors

By Jazmin Duribe

Cardi B has defended Lizzo against the trolls after she cried on Instagram Live.

Lizzo has defended herself after being targeted by trolls following the release of her new song 'Rumors'.

The 'Truth Hurts' singer released her first single in two years, 'Rumors', on Friday (Aug 13) alongside a Grecian-themed music video. As of Aug 14, the song, which features rapper Cardi B, is siting at No.4 on the US Spotify Chart with over 1.2 million streams.

Sadly, Lizzo started receiving hateful comments about her music and her body. Some have said Lizzo, who is considered a pop artist, only makes music for white people, while others compared her to a "mammy".

READ MORE: Chris Evans responds to Lizzo's 'pregnancy rumour' TikTok with hilarious DM

What is a mammy?

A mammy is an offensive stereotype of a plus-sized, Black woman who works for white families looking after their children. She's dark skinned, desexualised and only lives to serve white people. The stereotype is rooted in slavery.

On Sunday (Aug 15), Lizzo started an Instagram Live and she broke down over the "fatphobic and racist" comments she had been receiving. "On the days I feel I should be the happiest…I feel so down. Like, I hurt so hard," Lizzo explained.

"People saying shit about me that just doesn't even make sense. It’s fat-phobic, and it’s racist and it’s hurtful. If you don’t like my music, cool. If you don’t like 'Rumors' the song, cool. But a lot of people don’t like me because of the way I look…"

She added: "I just think when I’m working this hard, my tolerance gets lower. My patience is lower. I’m more sensitive and it gets to me. For the people that just always have something negative to say about me, that has nothing to do with music, or the content of my character, or me as an artist, and just has everything to do with my body or whatever trope you think I fall into… suck my pussy from behind. Because y’all motherfuckers gonna be the ones that’s catching up."

She continued: "What I won’t accept is y'all doing this to Black women over and over and over again – especially us big Black girls. When we don’t fit into the box you want to put us in, you just unleash hatred on us. It’s not cool. I’m doing this shit for the big Black women of the future who just want to live their lives without being scrutinised or put into boxes. I’m not going to do what y’all want me to do ever, so get used to it."

Lizzo defends herself after being called a "mammy"

That same day, Lizzo addressed the mammy comments specifically on TikTok. She said: "This is exactly why I started off the song with: 'They don’t know I do it for the culture.' These people who are saying this are probably the same people who are mad when I am being hypersexual and the mammy trope is actually desexualized. So it can't both be true. Make it make sense.

"I think people are just mad to see a fat Black woman that makes pop music and is happy. Y’all are so upset that I am happy. But this doesn’t even bother me because Aretha Franklin was criticised by the Black church when she came out, Whitney Houston was booed, and Beyonce received criticism early in her career."

She added: "So you know what, the type of music that I make, I know I am making it to be great, making it to touch the world and I don’t stick to any of these criticisms because I know the only person that I am serving is myself."

Cardi B also defended Lizzo against the trolls on Twitter. She tweeted: "When you stand up for yourself they claim you're problematic & sensitive. When you don’t they tear you apart until you crying like this. Whether you skinny, big, plastic, they going to always try to put their insecurities on you. Remember these are nerds looking at the popular table.

"Rumors is doing great. Stop trying to say the song is flopping to dismiss a woman emotions on bullying or acting like they need sympathy. The song is top 10 on all platforms. Body shaming and callin her mammy is mean & racist as fuck."