Lizzo took to Twitter on Sunday (Jan. 8), to share her thoughts on cancel culture. The “About Damn Time” singer claims that the term has been stolen from marginalized communities and is often “misdirected.”
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“This may be a random time to say this but it’s on my heart,” Lizzo wrote in a tweet. “Cancel culture is appropriation. There was real outrage from truly marginalized people and now it’s become trendy, misused and misdirected.”
She continued, “I hope we can phase out of this & focus our outrage on the real problems.”
In this day and age, cancel culture refers to the social or professional ostracisations of someone after they have been accused of harmful behavior and/or expressing socially unacceptable viewpoints.
The term has become more popularized over the years, expanding its usage to any form of widespread outrage behind a public figure. Lizzo is the latest in a long line of celebrities to comment on the phenomenon.
Lizzo herself has fallen prey to cancel culture in the past. Last year, the singer faced backlash when her song “Grrrls” featured a derogatory term towards people with cerebral palsy. Lizzo quickly responded to the criticism and altered the lyrics across streaming platforms.
“It’s been brought to my attention that there is a harmful word in my new song ‘GRRRLS,’” she wrote on Twitter at the time. “Let me make one thing clear: I never want to promote derogatory language. As a fat black woman in America, I’ve had many hurtful words used against me so I overstand the power words can have (whether intentionally or in my case, unintentionally).”
She continued, “I’m proud to say there’s a new version of GRRRLS with a lyric change. This is a result of me listening and taking action. As an influential artist I’m dedicated to being part of the change I’ve been waiting to see in the world.”
(Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for dcp)
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