Lizzo tired of activism centered around being ‘fat and Black’

The singer got candid during her interview with David Letterman

During Lizzo’s meteoric rise she’s been both praised and dragged for her body positivity. But now the entertainer is coming forward to admit that when it comes to her work around activism, she wants to be seen as more than just “fat and Black.”

In season three of David Letterman’s Netflix series My Next Guest Needs No Introduction, the 32-year-old Detroit native says she’s getting tired of the hyper-focus on her weight and would rather people focus on her numerous other contributions to the current social climate.

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“I’m sick of being an activist just because I’m fat and Black,” she told Letterman during their sit down interview. “I want to be an activist because I’m intelligent, because I care about issues, because my music is good, because I want to help the world.”

“You know there’s quite a lot written about your body. The only thing anyone has said to me about my body is ‘you feel all right,’” the veteran talk show host mused before asking her thoughts on how people perceive her. “Is it because we don’t think you have the right body to be doing what you’re doing. Is it just an opinion?” 

“It bothered me for a long time that all people could talk about or think about was my size. I didn’t like it when people condemned me for it and it kind of rubbed me the wrong way when I was praised. Like ‘you’re so brave,’” Lizzo explained. “They thought they were complimenting me by saying I was unapologetic. I was like, “what do I have to apologize for.’”

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In this image released on October 14, Lizzo accepts the Top Song Sales Artist Award onstage at the 2020 Billboard Music Awards, broadcast on October 14, 2020 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

During the election cycle, Lizzo’s was one of the loudest voices urging young people and people of color alike to vote for the betterment of the community.

Lizzo’s entire interview can be found on My Next Guest Needs No Introduction With David Letterman which is currently streaming in its entirety on Netflix.

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