Lizzo Just Shared an Important Reminder About a Common Misconception in Wellness Culture

Lizzo thinks it’s about damn time we stop conflating wellness with weight loss.

In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, the Emmy- and Grammy-winning singer got candid about her mental and physical health. She’s had quite the banner year, launching her shapewear brand, Yitty, in April; releasing her critically acclaimed album Special in July; and announcing her forthcoming HBO Max documentary, Love, Lizzo, earlier this week. But fame is no substitute for holistic self-care. In fact, prioritizing your health and wellness is arguably even more crucial the busier you get.

“I lead a very healthy lifestyle — mentally, spiritually, I try to keep everything I put in my body super clean,” Lizzo told the magazine. “Health is something I prioritize, wherever that leads me physically.” Right now, that looks like eating vegan — so, no meat, eggs, or dairy.

By virtue of existing in a larger body, people tend to assume that Lizzo’s plant-based diet is motivated by pursuing weight loss. But that fatphobic presumption couldn’t be further from the truth, she explained: “Like [with] veganism, people were like, ‘You’re a vegan? What, are you deep frying the lettuce?’ I’m not a vegan to lose weight, I just feel better when I eat plants.“

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“But just when you think you’ve got it all figured out, it changes again,” the singer continued. “I eat when I’m stressed out, sometimes to the point where I didn’t realize how much I ate. Anything can be harmful, but it comforts me in a way.”

At the end of the day, Lizzo aims to cultivate a more “neutral” view of her weight, which can fluctuate: “It sucks that we associate weight gain with the negative thing that causes it. It’s mixing this beautiful thing that’s food—and nourishing ourselves with it, but it’s the stress that’s the bad thing, not the 20 pounds. I feel very lucky because I don’t feel that weight gain is bad anymore. Nor is weight loss — it’s neutral. And food is fun. I love eating, and I have a chef now, and I’m not thinking about it. I had a brownie last night.”

Take it from pop music’s reigning “fat bitch” herself: Health is an incredibly complex and highly individualized thing. It’s impossible to gauge a person’s health status by solely looking at their weight or physical appearance. Weight fluctuations are totally normal, too, and gaining or losing weight shouldn’t be ascribed any moral value.

The “2 Be Loved (Am I Ready)” singer also said she struggles with anxiety and panic attacks. “When something good happens to me, I’m always looking over my shoulder for something bad,” she shared. “The years 2008–2012 had a lot of dark spots and trauma.” Her mental health toolkit includes therapy and meditation.

Lizzo’s stance on wellness culture will come as no surprise to anyone who has listened to her music (“Good as Hell,” anyone?) or followed her career. The classically trained flautist-turned-pop music icon has consistently championed self-love and body positivity, especially for other plus-size women and Black people.

“I love my body,” she told V magazine in 2019. “No matter what angle you shoot it at, no matter the lighting, my body is just so fucking beautiful all the time. I may talk shit about it sometimes, but fuck. She’s still a bad bitch.”

Before you go, check out these powerful quotes to inspire healthy attitudes about food and bodies:

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