Lizzo

Grammy-winning artist Lizzo shared a powerful and timely message to her fans during a speech at the 2020 Billboard Music Awards on Wednesday.“I just want to say, I've been thinking a lot about suppression and the voices that refuse to be suppressed. And I wonder, would I be standing here right now if it weren't for the big Black women who refused to have their voices be suppressed?" Lizzo...

Cardi B was hoping to have another appearance from a chart-topper in her star-studded and wildly popular "WAP" music video: Lizzo.In an interview with Hot97 radio station on August 20, the Grammy-winning rap star said pop sensation Lizzo was supposed to be in the "WAP" video. Unfortunately, she was on vacation when she and Megan Thee Stallion were shooting the video. “I’m cool with Lizzo and everything. Like, we’ve been sending DMs to each other and all that. But she was on vacation and she wasn’t in town," Cardi B said."I was like, ‘Oh my gosh,’ because I had a whole vision about how I want to see Lizzo and everything. It was so important to me to include different women that are different races and come from different backgrounds, but are so powerful and influential," she said.The video is packed full of high-profile cameos from stars like Normani, Rosalía, Mulatto, Sukihana, Rubi Rose and Kylie Jenner. Jenner's appearance was widely reviled by fans of both Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion. So much so, dozens of people created versions of the video with her edited out. One person even created a petition demanding the chart-topping rappers remove her from the official video. Despite the controversy over the song and video, both are already breaking records. Since debuting at the beginning of August, the video has racked up nearly 200 million views and Billboard reported that the song brought in 93 million U.S. streams in the week ending Aug. 13, the most for any track ever in its first week of release.On Aug. 27 the song made its debut on the Billboard Hot 100 chart at number 1. It is Cardi B's fourth number 1 hit and Megan Thee Stallion's second. Nearly a month after its release, the song is still drawing criticism from Republicans and conservative commentators despite the long, long legacy of men writing sexually explicit lyrics in almost every genre of...

Outside of the pervasive misogynoir that has resurfaced in the wake of Megan Thee Stallion revealing she'd been shot, the rapper has been feeling the love, too — most notably, from Rihanna.The mogul sent the Houston native some looks from her Savage X Fenty line as well as flowers."Wishing you a full and speedy recovery, Meg! Just know you've got a whole crew over here sending good vibes your way!" the singer wrote in a note alongside the gifts. "Love, Rihanna and the Fenty Corp gang."Megan Thee Stallion, whose real name is Megan Pete, reciprocated the love in an Instagram post. The rapper posted photos of herself wearing the outfit she received from her friend and a photo of the colorful flowers."Love y’all @savagexfenty @badgalriri," Pete wrote in the caption. View this post on Instagram Love y’all @savagexfenty @badgalriri 💙A post shared by Hot Girl Meg (@theestallion) on Jul 28, 2020 at 2:16pm PDT The "Savage" rapper broke down when she talked about the shooting, which occurred on July 12, as Blavity previously reported. "I was shot in both of my feet and I had to get surgery to get the bullets taken out," she said. "It was super scary and the worst experience of my life. It's not funny. There is nothing to joke about. It was nothing for y'all to start going and making fake stories about. I didn't put my hands on nobody. I didn't deserve to get shot."The artist said she was in the car with two friends when she got shot. Page Six identified one of the people in the car as rapper Tory Lanez. An anonymous source said Lanez was angry because Pete and her friend wanted to leave the car.“Tory fired the shots from within the vehicle while Megan was outside trying to leave. There is video and the police are investigating. This is a case of a man physically harming and abusing a woman,” a source told Page Six.While talking about the incident on Instagram Live, the musician also discussed the challenges she has been facing after recently losing her mother and grandmother. Pete said she has been trying to find people who can help her fill the void."Imagine being 25 and you don't have both your parents. My mama was my best friend, so I'm still really not over that," she said. "You try to fill your space with a bunch of people that you think are making you happy."The artist said the spirit of her loved ones protected her when she got shot."Thank god the bullets didn't touch bones and break tendons. I know my mama and my daddy and my granny had to be looking out for me on that one. The bullets missed everything," she said.In addition to dealing with the trauma of being shot, Pete has had to deal with insensitivity from internet trolls. Rapper 50 Cent was among the people who tried to be funny about the terrifying incident, as Balvity previously reported. The artist shared an edited clip from the popular shooting scene of Boyz n the Hood, showing Pete's face on Ricky's body. "Run Ricky, Run," 50 Cent wrote in the caption.He also shared an edited photo of Lanez's head placed on Mini-Me's body from the Austin Powers films holding a...

All of us could use a little peace and calm on our timelines thanks to the daily deluge of bad news, infighting and nastiness that comes out of social media sometimes.Lizzo and SZA decided to provide a little tranquility to their fans, hopping on Instagram Live to play some soothing music.Lizzo used her mastery of the flute to play a beautiful tune while SZA used a Tibetan singing bowl to set the tone. View this post on Instagram A fucking vibeeeeeee get into itttttttttt... deep breaths y’all...... breathe in 😲 1, 2, 3, 4, hold your breath for 😊1, 2, 3, 4, and release for 😗💨 1, 2, 3, 4, ❤️🙏🏾 do as many times as you need! Love u @sza thank u for inviting me into your glorious light 🥺💋A post shared by Lizzo (@lizzobeeating) on Apr 23, 2020 at 12:40pm PDT "As your heart beats, it sends a vibration through your body. Imagine all the water and blood and organs in your body vibing to your heartbeat, like a drum.. again.. and again... The higher you vibrate, the higher your body can function. Music is a tool to get to that high vibration, it’s heart opening. Thank you @sza for letting me raise the frequency with you. Some people didn’t understand, but they gon feel it. In case you missed it, here’s something to meditate to— open yo chakras and yo mouth and sing with us!!! I promise you’ll feel better," Lizzo wrote on her Instagram page. Fans of the chart-topping musicians enjoyed the session and flooded social media with responses. Here are some of the best...

Who do we have to blame for today’s unrealistic standards for an ideal body image?According to actress Lisa Raye, the Kardashians are responsible for society’s view of the female body. "The Kardashians have single-handedly changed the woman's body shape that's acceptable now," she said on an episode of Out Loud With Claudia Jordan. "Now, it's the small waist, all this ass, look like the ankles can't even hold up all of that. I'm thinking to myself, 'I don't want my body to look like that.’ Cause that's the body that everybody has now."Host Claudia Jordan agreed with Raye’s comments, saying everybody looks the same.“Everybody’s shaped the same now because they’re all going to the doctor, getting the same exact everything,” Jordan added.Syleena Johnson and Vivica A. Fox questioned what these women, who get procedures done to obtain a certain body, will look like when they get older. Raye added that now women are using this body shape to make money.“Every generation after that feel like that’s what they have to do to secure the bag, as they say now,” Raye said.Just like society's ideal body type has drastically changed throughout the years, it may change again in the future.According to CNN, it started as curvy and thick, then in the late 20th century changed to very thin."Over the course of the last 50-plus years, the American ideal has shifted from curvy to androgynous to muscular and everything in between," said Sierra Filucci, executive editor of parenting content and distribution for Common Sense Media.A recent study by Treadmill Review concluded that the ideal woman would be about 5 feet, 5 inches tall and weigh just under 130 pounds with a 26-inch waist and brown hair and blue eyes. The study also found that the ideal body type slightly varies from generation to generation.While the ideal body type is quite small in frame, a study by the International Journal of Fashion Design, Technology and Education found that the average American woman is about a size 16.Today, a scroll through Instagram will show a number of models with curves, a slim waist, big breasts and large butts."As these ideals change, they are reflected and reinforced in the culture through media — whether it's fine art or advertising billboards or music videos," said Filucci.An increase in social media use has also allowed for more easy access to diversity and a channel for body positivity. People have used the photo-sharing app to embrace differences in body type and celebrate their curves.One of the most notable body-positive activists is Lizzo. The “Truth Hurts” singer often posts pictures and videos embracing her body and encouraging her followers to love themselves. She did admit it took her a while to get to the accepting place she’s in today regarding her weight.“I would watch things on television and look at magazines and I would not see myself,” she said, according to the Guardian. “When you don’t see yourself, you think something is wrong with you.”Today, she sees herself as more than just her weight and credits the body positivity movement for evolving. View this post on Instagram It’s been a long ass day 😫 🍑🤎 focus on a body part u don’t like about yourself and show it some love today. This quarantine has a lot of people suffering from mental health issues because we can’t get out and do our normal coping/self care routines.... self hatred was starting to creep up on me but I gotta remember I’m 110% that bitch 💁🏾‍♀️ love you!A post shared by Lizzo (@lizzobeeating) on Apr 20, 2020 at 12:03pm PDT View this post on Instagram I’m a bad bitch 🏆💪🏾😤 training by @marcuselyA post shared by Lizzo (@lizzobeeating) on Feb 26, 2020 at 1:56pm PST“I’m so much more than that. Because I actually present that, I have a whole career. It’s not a trend,” she said in an interview with Rolling Stone. “I’ve come to terms with body dysmorphia and evolved. The body-positive movement is doing the same thing. We’re growing together, and it’s growing pains, but I’m just glad that I’m attached to something so organic and...

April 12 may have been Easter Sunday, but all Lizzo was trying to resurrect was her famous twerking skills.The only thing that got in the way of the singer and dancer's mission was Diddy. The two artists collided on Sunday during Diddy's Instagram Live party, where he was hosting the "world's biggest dance-a-thon" to raise money for healthcare workers during the coronavirus outbreak.According to ET, Lizzo was one of the celebrities who joined the party, along with others such as Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez. Diddy was off-screen for a minute while his sons danced in front of the camera. But when Lizzo started to bust a move to MoneyBagg Yo's “1 2 3," Diddy immediately came back into the picture and jumped in front of his sons."Whoa, whoa, whoa!" he told Lizzo. "Stop the music. It's Easter Sunday, let's play something a little more family-friendly."   The dancer, who has been known to twerk on various stages, including the Staples Center, was immediately apologetic. "Sorry, sorry, sorry! Let's do something fun. Well, don't play that kind of... play something I can bop to," she said before suggesting her own song "Juice."Diddy shutdown Lizzo but not Draya. 🔥pic.twitter.com/BXGcop6YJG— ™️Marcus (@TheMisterMarcus) April 13, 2020Fans weren't happy with Diddy, calling him out for later letting model Draya Michele twerk without issue."These mfers were fine with a slim woman twerking, but 5 seconds into lizzo doing the same thing and suddenly it’s a f**king crime," one Twitter user said. these mfers were fine with a slim woman twerking but 5 seconds into lizzo doing the same thing and suddenly it’s a fucking crime pic.twitter.com/g8pQkOGyBL— will (@APESHITWILL) April 13, 2020"Diddy letting Draya twerk, but telling Lizzo issa 'family show' is some grade A fat phobic bulls**t," another Twitter user said.Diddy letting Draya twerk but telling Lizzo issa "family show" is some grade A fat phobic bullshit... pic.twitter.com/CkDnXR2c5u— Big Girl Slay 💋 (@Biggirlslay) April 13, 2020With Lizzo trending on social media, some fans used the opportunity to enjoy more of her dancing. Lizzo is trending because people are plus-size phobic idiots. anyway stream Juice ✨ pic.twitter.com/sP00z9slAT— 𝙡𝙞𝙯𝙯𝙤 (@hizzonation) April 13, 2020As usual, Twitter's meme reactions were on point. Lizzo: Ya'll wanna see me twerking Diddy: pic.twitter.com/1NpCqebRw7— J (@JDab113) April 13, 2020Lizzo: Imma shake it... Diddy: pic.twitter.com/16zXCBIzZe— Mars (@_Marz101) April 13, 2020Diddy later responded to the anger on social media.“When I stopped the music, it’s because it had a lot of curses in there, not cuz she was twerking. She’s one of the best twerkers in the world,” he said.Mind you, Michele danced to Juvenile's "Back That Azz Up," another rather explicit song, and was met with a "Yo, Draya, we're proud of that. You killed that," from Diddy. Diddy on stopping Lizzo: “When I stopped the music, it’s because it had a lot of curses in there, not cuz she was twerking. She’s one of the best twerkers in the world.” pic.twitter.com/tRl2cEZshL— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) April 13, 2020Last month, Lizzo accused TikTok of body shaming after the social media platform deleted a video of her dancing in a bikini, as Blavity previously reported. “Tiktok keeps taking down my videos of me in my bathing suits,” she said. “But allows other videos with girls in bathing suits. I wonder...

Some celebrities are contributing financially to assist with the impact brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, while others have been working to uplift communities.As people flock to social media sharing funny memes and TikToks to temporarily refocus their attention off of the pandemic, some celebs have been posting videos of them singing encouraging songs while practicing social distancing.Regardless, there's a place for everyone to step up in this time of need. Here's how some of your favorite celebrities are spreading the...

The government doesn't want federal employees to use TikTok at work.According to Politico, Sens. Josh Hawley of Missouri and Rick Scott of Florida have introduced legislation that would ban federal employees from using the social media app on government-issued work phones. The senators cited security as the reason why the Chinese-owned app should be banned.“As many of our federal agencies have already recognized, TikTok is a major security risk to the United States, and it has no place on government devices,” Hawley said.Researchers have concluded that TikTok raises security issues because it can read the data which iPhone users copy and paste onto their clipboards, Forbes reported.  “The logs clearly indicate that TikTok is reading the content of the clipboard whenever it is opened,” researchers told Forbes contributor Zak Doffman. “We can’t say for sure what TikTok is doing with the data it has read.” Researchers added that “many apps quietly read text found in the pasteboard every time they are opened. Text left in the pasteboard could be just a shopping list, or could be something more sensitive: passwords, account numbers, etc.”The House also passed legislation last week to ban airport workers from using TikTok on their government-issued phones, Politico reported. That bill came after the Transportation Security Administration passed a law last month to ban employees from using the video app for work. “TikTok, like other Chinese companies, is required under Chinese law to share information with the government and its institutions,” Rep. Abigail Spanberger said. “Because it could become a tool for surveilling U.S. citizens or federal personnel, TikTok has no business being on U.S. government-issued devices.”TikTok representatives refused to testify at a hearing last week in the Senate Crime and Terrorism Subcommittee, Politico reported. The company, however, announced that it plans to open a transparency center in California to give experts a better look at how the company tackles data privacy issues, according to Tech Crunch. “The use of apps like TikTok by federal employees on government devices is a risk to our networks and a threat to our national security,” Sen. Scott said. The social media app has also been criticized for unnecessary censorship, TechCrunch reported. Last year, TikTok deleted a video that criticized China’s treatment of Muslims. Singer Lizzo also called out the app moderators for removing a video of her wearing a bathing suit. According to the BBC, transgender users say that the app is removing their content for no clear...

Not even orchestrated hate can keep Grammy-winning singer Lizzo from loving the body she was blessed with. A video of the Detroit native lip-syncing in a bikini was removed from a popular social media platform, and now she’s calling the company out for body-shaming. The 31-year-old artist posted her lip-sync of Erin McMillen‘s cover of “Tonight You Belong to Me” on TikTok on Tuesday. Shortly after she noticed the video was removed, she created another post to put TikTok on notice that she has been paying attention to which videos they blocked.  “Tiktok keeps taking down my videos of me in my bathing suits,” she wrote. “But allows other videos with girls in bathing suits. I wonder why?”@lizzo YOU KNOW, SHE KNOWS, like look what followed her video about bikinis! I’m shook ! @tiktok_uk @tiktok_us SORT IT OUT #LIZZO #tiktokexposed pic.twitter.com/WjJeyVNthD— Amy (@Amy48151539) March 4, 2020 At the end of Lizzo’s video, a Twitter user showed a clip of popular TikToker Charli D’Amelio, driving home her point. D’Amelio created a clip of her dancing in a bikini that landed her on the app’s trending list.  What exactly is the threshold for governance on matters like this?According to TikTok’s community guidelines, it bans all sexually explicit or gratifying content. It deems sexually explicit content that commits, promotes, or glorifies sexual solicitation or sexual objectification. Users are prohibited from creating posts that show human genitalia, female nipples — male nipples are OK for some reason — or buttocks.  The community guidelines don't clearly state how Lizzo's video may have been determined offensive compared to D'Amelio's.In a recent interview with the Rolling Stone, Lizzo revealed in the past she's struggled with body dysmorphia, a mental health disorder in which a person obsesses over a perceived body flaw. She said she’s grown from the experience and is happy to join allies working toward the same thing in their lives.  “I’ve come to terms with body dysmorphia and evolved,” she said. “The body-positive movement is doing the same thing. We’re growing together, and it’s growing pains, but I’m just glad that I’m attached to something so organic and alive.”At the NAACP Image Awards last month, Lizzo thanked big Black girls for their support and highlighted them as major inspirations for her work. “I just wanna shout out all of the big Black girls that I bring on stage with me. I do that because I want them to know they are the trophies. And since this is the final award of the night I don’t even want to make it about me. Every last one of you, you are the award. We are so special, we are such a beautiful people, this is just a reminder of all the incredible things that we can do. God bless you, and keep on being an award! Let’s go! Let’s go!” she said. Hopefully, the haters won’t make Lizzo disappear completely from social media, again. Earlier this year, she quit Twitter due to severe bullying and online...

Taking some much-needed self-care time with family doesn't mean Lizzo won't hop on Instagram to brighten our day with her positivity.The singer posted a video on Instagram on Monday dancing alongside her mom, Shari Johnson-Jefferson, while enjoying what appears to be some good ol' mother and daughter bonding time.The "Truth Hurts" singer donned a white towel wrapped around herself while her mom opted for a comfy white robe. The two both looked to be fresh-faced, chilling with no makeup on while grooving with coffee cups in their hands."Been in Detroit w family. This makes me smile. Hope u smiling too," the singer captioned the video. View this post on Instagram Been in Detroit w family. This makes me smile. Hope u smiling too.A post shared by Lizzo (@lizzobeeating) on Mar 2, 2020 at 9:27am PST According to People, the two were jamming to Trey Taylor and Armon Warren's cover of Mac Miller's "Knock Knock."Just as she is on stage, Lizzo made sure her dance moves were in sync with her mom for the short video.While she appeared to be enjoying some downtime, Lizzo has remained active on her Instagram, posting herself working out and maintaining her "bad b***h" award.The 31-year-old has been vocal about her challenges with self-acceptance while promoting body image positivity. In 2019, Lizzo challenged society's perception of plus-size women and the backhanded compliments she often receives for embracing her beauty. "When people look at my body and be like, 'Oh my God, she's so brave,' it's like, 'No, I'm not,'" the singer told Glamour. "I'm just fine. I'm just me. I'm just sexy."“If you saw Anne Hathaway in a bikini on a billboard, you wouldn't call her brave. I just think there's a double standard when it comes to women.”During her performances, the "Good As Hell" singer is known to sport a bodysuit along with her backup dancers who she recently applauded for being "trophies" during her NAACP Image Awards acceptance speech, as Blavity previously reported."I just wanna shout out all of the big Black girls that I bring on stage with me. I do that because I want them to know they are the trophies," she said.Despite pushing a narrative focused on body positivity, the Detroit native said she has struggled with critics' insults. “I don't like it when people think it's hard for me to see myself as beautiful. I don't like it when people are shocked that I'm doing it,” she said. At the beginning of the year, fitness guru Jillian Michaels thought it was her place to comment on the singer's health.“Why are we celebrating her body? Why does it matter? Why aren't we celebrating her music? ‘Cause it isn’t gonna be awesome if she gets diabetes,” Michaels said. “I’m just being honest. I love her music, my kid loves her music, but there’s never a moment when I’m like, ‘I’m so glad she’s overweight.’"Nevertheless, Lizzo continues to give us her a*s to kiss while living her best damn life in the face of adversity.In January, she gave us a bomb performance to "Watch Out For The Big Girls" during a show in Australia, proving that if there's ever a time to love yourself, it's...