Lizzo Turns Heads with Weight-Loss Photo as She Says Plus-Size Women Are Being 'Erased'

The "Pink" singer revealed that her weight loss began in 2023 during a period of deep depression and noted how much progress she has made since then.

Lizzo recently spoke candidly about her weight-loss journey and her mixed feelings toward body positivity and the growing Ozempic trend. She paired her message with a new photo highlighting her body changes — a post that quickly drew praise from fans.

A New Look Sparks Love and Support Online

Lizzo reflected on the current weight-loss culture in a deeply personal Substack essay published on Sunday, November 23, titled "Why is everybody losing weight and what do we do? Sincerely, a person who’s lost weight."

To promote the piece, she shared a screenshot of the essay along with a photo highlighting her physical transformation. In the picture, she wore a two-piece shorts set that revealed her midriff and thighs, offering a clear look at how much she has changed.

The image showed a noticeably different Lizzo compared to how she looked two years ago. Fans poured into the comments with messages of encouragement and admiration.

One admirer cheered her on with, "Girl you ARE the inspiration." Another couldn't help but hype her up, writing, "Looking good lizzo [sic]. Keep it up!! 🏋🏽‍♀️🏋🏽‍♀️🏋🏽‍♀️." Someone else added a heartfelt note of support, "You were beautiful then and beautiful now. Just keep moving forward ❤️."

Plus-Size Women Are Being Pushed Out

In her essay, Lizzo revealed that she currently weighs over 200 pounds after committing to regular exercise and making changes to her diet. While she expressed satisfaction with the improvements that have helped her reduce health risks, she also raised an important concern.

She reflected on how the commercialization of body positivity has shifted its original purpose. The "Special" rapper noted that it began as a liberating movement in 2013, giving her a sense of freedom and empowerment.

Over time, however, it has transformed into a business-driven concept, losing its focus on the communities it was created to support. Today, she noted, the movement often excludes those it initially celebrated.

"It's no longer for us anymore. It's no longer for the size 16 and up community. It's no longer for the disabled plus-sized community. It's no longer for the queer, indigenous, plus-sized community. I would look up the has body positivity hashtag and I would see size 8, straight, white women dominating the category," penned Lizzo.

A Vanishing Act in Fashion and Media

Reflecting on the current state of the fashion and beauty industries, Lizzo said that "extended sizes are being magically erased from websites." She added that plus-sized models are "no longer getting booked for modeling gigs."

Lizzo continued, "And all of our big girls are not-so big anymore. I am still a proud big girl. Objectively Big. Over 200 pounds. And I love myself as much as I've loved myself no matter what the scale says."

Regardless of how her body changes, Lizzo continues to view herself as beautiful. She acknowledged that she remains in a plus-size category and retains the natural curves of her body, including her belly and thighs, though in a slightly smaller form.

"Body positivity has nothing to do with staying the same. Body positivity is the radical act of daring to exist loudly and proudly in a society that told you you shouldn’t exist," she explained.

The 37-year-old acknowledged that there may be some bad actors within the movement. She noted that certain individuals may have leveraged it for financial gain or fame and moved on once it no longer benefited them. Still, she emphasized that it was never about them.

The rapper highlighted, "We have a lot of work to do, to undo the effects of the Ozempic boom. I have a lot of work to do to regain the trust of the movement that gave me wings. It is work I am willing and ready to do."

Refusing to Flatten the Conversation

Lizzo emphasized the next steps for the movement, urging ongoing dialogue and mutual accountability. She called for moving beyond a simplistic view of right and wrong and reintroducing nuance into discussions.

Her goal is to let the body positivity movement evolve and grow, steering it away from the commercialized version it has become. Lizzo ended her essay by reminding readers that movements are always in motion.

She also shed light on why she has chosen to speak out. Lizzo explained that her experience as a public figure often felt like borderline emotional abuse, driven solely by her weight. People questioned her intentions, labeling her as "performative" even though she was the first mainstream musician to openly champion body positivity.

Critics even accused her of secretly internalizing fatphobia, despite her activism. The singer ensured she hired Black women with larger bodies and created opportunities for plus-size dancers, models, and actresses.

Despite everything, she remained a confident, body-positive artist. Lizzo navigated the scrutiny by embracing her identity, confronting online mockery, and continuing to be authentic.

"I had to actively work against 'mammy' tropes by being hypersexual and vulgar because being a mammy by definition is being desexualized. It still didn't work, they saw my body and they judged me for it. And that's the reality that nobody wants to talk about," she noted.

Fighting Back Against Stereotypes

Lizzo revealed that she was also frustrated with her identity being overshadowed by her size. Her talent as a musician was often ignored as people focused only on her body, accusing her of making "being fat" the entirety of her persona.

She acknowledged that her experience is not unique; Black women and other women in larger bodies have long faced systemic bias.

The singer observed a troubling trend where larger women feel pressured to lose weight to avoid judgment, yet are then criticized by the same community for making that choice.

"There's nothing wrong with living in a bigger body. There's nothing wrong with being fat. But if a woman wants to change, she should be allowed to change, " she emphasized.

Despite the challenges she addressed in her essay, Lizzo is stepping forward to continue advocating for the body positivity movement and supporting plus-size women.