We Would Never Police Our Friends’ Bodies
By: Keara Lou
Tags: Opinion, Feminism, Body Positive, Body Image, Lizzo

A few days ago, Lizzo posted pictures from a smoothie detox.

I didn’t think she looked any smaller than usual, but people criticized her for looking smaller. The backlash was so significant; she deleted her post. She later created another post explaining herself. Some fans are still angry she did a smoothie detox in the first place, accusing her of selling a diet.

Looking at the detox posts and the follow-up she did, I didn’t see it as her giving into Diet Culture. Nor did I think she was starving herself. I saw a woman who listened to her body and did what she felt was best for it. The last I checked, that’s what mindfulness and body positivity is. Not just flaunting your assets no matter how imperfect society deems them. It’s about taking care of your body how you believe it best, not destroying your body to please society.

I’m not Lizzo. You’re not Lizzo. We don’t know what’s best for her health and her body, so who are we to criticize her for doing what she feels best? Maybe instead of attacking her for listening to her body, we should be admiring the courage she had for listening to her body in the first place.

Sometimes, our bodies need greens and water. Other times, a slice of pizza with extra toppings is fair. There are days our bodies need some sugar for extra brainpower. And then there are days where it isn’t food our bodies need but exercise or more sleep. We can’t know what our bodies need unless we take the time to listen to them. No one else can determine what our body needs.

Lizzo’s Instagram backlash highlights a misconception about body positivity.

Critics believe that because fat bodies are embracing the movement, we want unhealthy habits glorified. Society isn’t comfortable with confident fat bodies running around the world. Supporters see any move you make in the name of health as giving into Diet Culture. We end up policing one another when all we want to do is what’s best for our bodies at the time.

It’s not your job to police anyone else’s body, even if that person is a symbol of Body Positivity.

To me, Body Positivity loves your body enough to take care of it in the best way possible, even if it’s not what others feel is best for you. It’s getting rid of the need to rely on others to look and feel beautiful, even when you think you need improvements. You’re responsible for your body’s well-being, and it’s your job to listen to it.

It’s not your job to police anyone else’s body, even if that person is a symbol of Body Positivity. Lizzo’s choices have nothing to do with you, and she’s still the same goddess she was before her smoothie detox.

We’re all going through different struggles with our bodies. We need to remember that. Lizzo might not be reading your opinions about her, but someone else is. Your comments could hurt that someone.

Lizzo is a human trying to go through life in the best way she can. She’s a fellow fat woman living in a thin-obsessed world. We all know from living in this world that we can’t win no matter what we do.

We’re not going to agree with everything Lizzo does. We’re not going to agree with everything our fat friends do for their bodies. As long as we’re not destroying ourselves, there isn’t a reason to attack her for her choices. Lizzo clarifies she’s not interested in losing weight but still wants to live a healthy lifestyle. Let’s stop making her smoothie detox about us and let her keep doing what’s best for her.