Lizzo claps back at the fat-shamming comments from comedian Aries Spears. Image Source: Glamour UK
It’s about damn time!!
Bebe Rexha appeared on stage to present the award for the Video for Good at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards on August 28th, 2022 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey to honor the best music videos of the year. Bebe introduced the category by stating that music has always been the soundtrack to change and that the nominees push everyone to be better and nicer to each other.
Lizzo won the award for Best Video for Good for the video of her successful single "About Damn Time," which was up against artists including Kendrick Lamar, Latto, Rina Sawayama, and Stromae.
While appearing on stage, the singer thanked her fans for supporting her and loving her and said that she does not know what music videos for good mean, but she knows what the vote of the audience means, and that is fucking a lot. Lizzo added that the vote means everything to make a change in the country and reminded everyone to vote for change that can help the people reverse or fight the laws that are oppressing everyone.
After thanking the fans and reminding everyone to vote, she went ahead to call out the critics who fat-shammed her. She went ahead to say that and now for the ones that have got something to say about her in the press, you know what, she is not going to say anything. Lizzo pulled off Nicki Minaj’s nearly identical 2015 Video Music Awards opener and added that everyone is like "Lizzo, why don’t you clap back?" but she just wants to say that she does not clap back because she is winning.
Listening to Lizzo subtly address the criticism about her, the audience applauded her, and she continued that "big bitch" is winning before adding that the best revenge is in your paper. Lizzo posted a clip of her speech on her social media with a caption that was a dialogue that has went viral since, "Will Smith said it at the Academy Award 2022 to Chris Rock, with her own twist." As it said, "Keep her name in your mouth because she knows that it tastes good."
Days before Lizzo's remarks at the MTV Video Music Awards 2022, 47-year-old comedian Aries Spears body-shamed her in an interview with The Art of Dialogue when he was asked about what is his view on her music, saying that he could not get past the fact that she resembles a shit emoji and that despite having a really attractive face, she always flashes her body.
The comic continued that he is sorry, but asked the viewers to listen and said that while he may not be the most physically fit, he is hilarious, swaggering, self-assured, and at the very least, decent-looking enough for the other sex. Aries continued by saying that he believes he is at least attractive, but a lady with a build like a dish of mashed potatoes is problematic. The comedian went on to criticize women's hypocrisy for praising sisterhood and body confidence but refusing to talk about health hazards like "diabetes," "heart difficulties," "heart disease," and "cholesterol."
Aries Spears said that women would jump on him for making jokes but would not be real and tell her or any other woman that she should put that éclair down and work out.
This is not the first time Lizzo is addressing her issues with body image or being critisized for. She has been an advocate for positive body image and has encouraged women and everyone else to embrace their bodies as they are, and the singer has previously called out the people who had just assumed that people with large bodies have health issues, stating that health is not just determined by what one looks like on the outside.
In March, for the cover story for People, Lizzo got candid about her body and how she has embraced her skin despite the criticism, saying that she thinks she has a hot body, she is a body icon, and she is simply embracing that more and more every day. Lizzo added that her body is not the ideal body type, but just like Kim Kardashian’s body is not someone’s ideal body type, she is a body icon and has created a modern-day beauty standard. The singer concluded that she is doing the same, stepping into her confidence and power to create her beauty standard, and one day that will just be a standard.
The singer also mentioned in an interview that she is aware that she is going to get backlash from people whenever she puts herself out there just because of who she is and the way she chooses to exit, but she is not going to pay much attention to them, but sometimes it gets to her.
The singer also transported viewers to 1988, channeling Tom Hanks in the film Big by playing a light-up floor piano with her feet.
Congratulations Lizzo!!
