Is Lizzo Really Oppressed, Or Is She An Oppressor?

Tristan JusticeAugust 30, 2022

Lizzo went on a rant Sunday night, crying “oppression” as she collected a prestigious music award on national television in prime time.

“Your vote means everything to me, it means everything to making a change in this country,” the singer said. “When you’re voting for your favorite artist, vote to change some of these laws that are oppressing us.”

Of course, the icon of the pro-fat movement cloaked as “body positivity” didn’t specify which laws kept her “oppressed.” Examination of the $12 million pop star’s Instagram account made her reference to oppression all the more confusing. Most Americans forced to dish out excessive taxes to finance irresponsible students’ gender studies degrees might have a different take on who is “oppressed” than a rich celebrity gracing the cover of major magazines and posing by infinity pools.

Lizzo’s pursuit to capitalize on her “oppression” takes the form of grandstanding as a victim — when she’s not twerking on yachts for obesity (Warning: links to graphic content).

The reality is that Lizzo is only oppressed by her own addiction to casting herself as a victim, something celebrities and athletes alike have fallen into. And victimization is addictive; “victimhood” is even a personality type. On the other hand, it’s her obsession with victimhood that’s also contributed to her eight-figure wealth, so it’s easy to argue that not even her own victimization should qualify her as “oppressed.”

Since her entertainment career took off a decade ago, Lizzo has become a mascot of the pro-fat movement, seeking to recalibrate beauty standards to celebrate obesity. The “perfect the way you are even if you’re 400 pounds overweight” schtick has brought her wealth and fame, but it’s also terrible for the country.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as many as 77 percent of U.S. adults are considered, at minimum, overweight, and about 42 percent are categorically obese. In other words, more than 2 in 5 Americans are dangerously obese while Americans at a healthy weight are in the minority.

The nation’s poor level of baseline health heading into the coronavirus pandemic made the population especially vulnerable to the disease, which disproportionately kills individuals who are overweight. While the pandemic should have been a wake-up call to convert the sick care system into a true health care system complete with Obama-style “Let’s Move” initiatives, Americans continued packing on the pounds. According to a March 2021 survey from the American Psychological Association, 42 percent of Americans put on unwanted weight, adding 29 pounds on average.

It’s no coincidence America is seeing excessive weight gain as the culture gives up on the issue in favor of “body positivity,” no matter how deadly the outcome. Major fashion brands are following the Lizzo model, publishing ad campaigns that feature morbidly obese people in a radical departure from the slim physiques traditionally on display. While well-intentioned, the effort to abandon pre-existing beauty standards to glorify obesity will bring deadly consequences.

It’s important not to fat shame — weight is an emotional issue, for those who carry too much of it and even those who carry too little — which is counterproductive, and only offers ammo for those in the pro-fat movement who claim their “oppressors” don’t actually care about personal health. Removing the stigma of excessive weight, however, is a deadly concept and is itself an example of institutional racism by the modern left’s standards.

According to the CDC, black and Hispanic minorities have the highest age-adjusted prevalence of obesity. Fifty percent of black people are considered obese in addition to nearly 46 percent of Hispanics.

So not only is Lizzo categorically not oppressed in any sense of the word, but her own campaign to celebrate obesity is itself oppression according to the left’s standards for calculating disproportionate negative effects on racial minorities.

Tristan Justice is the western correspondent for The Federalist. He has also written for The Washington Examiner and The Daily Signal. His work has also been featured in Real Clear Politics and Fox News. Tristan graduated from George Washington University where he majored in political science and minored in journalism. Follow him on Twitter at @JusticeTristan or contact him at [email protected].