Pop star Lizzo changed the lyrics to her new song, “Grrrls,” after facing backlash for making an “ableist slur” in the tune, in which the singer said, “I’m a spaz.” The singer took to social media on Monday to say that she changed the lyrics, because she understands the power of hurtful words “as a fat black woman in America.”
“Hold my bag, bitch, hold my bag, do you see this shit? I’m a spaz,” Lizzo initially said at the beginning of her latest single, “Grrrls.”
The usage of the word “spaz,” however, caused outrage among social media users, who accused the pop star of making an “ableist slur” about people with cerebral palsy.
Lizzo, who stumped hard for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris during the 2020 presidential campaign, has since changed the lyrics, replacing “I’m a spaz” with “Hold it back.”
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Fans on social media slammed the singer over her initial lyrics, with one writing, “Really disappointed to see @lizzo using an ableist slur in one of her songs. I didn’t expect it from her. Shows just how little people think about discrimination against disabled people. I’m tired.”
“Hey @lizzo my disability Cerebral Palsy is literally classified as Spastic Diplegia (where spasticity refers to unending painful tightness in my legs) your new song makes me pretty angry + sad. ‘Spaz’ doesn’t mean freaked out or crazy. It’s an ableist slur. It’s 2022. Do better,” another Twitter user declared.
“So disappointed to see @lizzo using an ableist slur in her latest song,” another echoed. “We don’t need language like this normalised, especially when disabled people struggle to fight off so much stigma on a daily basis. DO BETTER this was so unnecessary and is such a set back.”
“i just can’t believe that not even 10 seconds into Lizzo’s new song there’s a whole extremely harmful ableist slur said *with her whole chest,*” another complained. “that song will have been through 100s of people before being released and not ONE has picked this up and removed it?? i just can’t.”
“Really disappointed to see @lizzo using the ableist slur spaz in one of her songs. Even if she didn’t know the meaning there are 9 other writers & a record label. They knew,” another wrote. “Goes to show how everyday ableism & discrimination against disabled people isn’t even considered.”
“I’ve seen a few comments across the internet talking about ‘Cancelling Lizzo’ and that’s not what we want – we want to educate her and have the word changed,” another tweeted.
Lizzo responded to the backlash in a tweet on Monday, writing, “It’s been brought to my attention that there is a harmful word in my new song.”
“Let me make one thing clear: I never want to promote derogatory language,” the singer added. “As a fat black woman in America, I’ve had many hurtful words used against me so I overstand the power words can have.”
Lizzo is the latest celebrity to be accused of being “ableist.”
Last year, pop star Sia apologized and deleted her Twitter account in response to woke backlash over her debut feature film Music, which featured a scene in which an autistic girl is physically restrained.
The singer’s film was called “ableist,” and was attacked over the casting of Maddie Ziegler, a non-autistic actor, to play an autistic character in the movie.
You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Facebook and Twitter at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.