Lizzo Says She Used Her Weight As "Protective Sheild"

Lizzo opened up about the darkest chapter of her life, detailing how a wave of public scrutiny and personal betrayal pushed her into a mental health crisis that led to her unexpected weight loss.

"I started losing weight in the fall of 2023," she wrote in a deeply personal Substack essay. "I was severely depressed. I had been the subject of vicious scandal, and it felt like the whole world turned its back on me. I became deeply suicidal. I cut off all my loved ones."




The Grammy-winning artist said the emotional collapse followed a lawsuit filed by three former backup dancers who accused her of harassment. The fallout left her feeling abandoned by friends and colleagues.




"I couldn't trust anyone," she said. "People I loved, trusted, and looked up to were turning on me publicly. They were making things up about me for clout and attention. God knows why...Fifteen minutes of fame? I guess I'll never know."




The emotional toll, she said, left her furious and voiceless. "I was angry every day. I couldn't defend myself. I couldn't explain myself. I couldn't be myself. No one would believe me."




What followed wasn't a fitness plan or a body transformation goal; it was survival. Lizzo turned to pilates to cope with the emotional weight she was carrying.




"I needed a way to process [my] pain through [my] body," she wrote. "I found that I had lost some weight in that process, but it wasn't as significant as it is now. Because it wasn't intentional."

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Through therapy, she began to understand the emotional armor her body had become.




"My weight had been a protective shield, a joyful comfort zone, and even sometimes a super hero suit to protect me through life."




She traced her emotional burdens back years, her father's death in 2009, a string of unhealthy relationships, and the pressure of financially supporting her family since 2016. "I wanted to let-it-the-f### go," she wrote.




Lizzo has long been a target of public criticism over her appearance. From backlash over her sheer dress at a Lakers game to negative reactions to her workout videos, she's been accused of everything from glamorizing obesity to giving in to fatphobia.




"The way I've been treated as a public figure since I was introduced to the world as a confident, body positive figure has been borderline emotional abuse," she wrote. "And it's simply because of my weight."




Now weighing over 200 pounds, Lizzo says she's proud of herself regardless of the number on the scale.












































via: https://allhiphop.com/news/lizzo-says-she-used-her-weight-as-protective-sheild/