Entertainment
As a disabled woman, I forgive Lizzo for the GRRRLS controversy-Dayna Latham-Entertainment – Metro
Stumbling across the news that her song included an ableist slur, my heart sank. No, I mumbled to myself, not again.
This isn’t Lizzo’s only inclusivity scandal of late either (Picture: Matt Winkelmeyer/MG22/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue )
I doubt Lizzo got the response she wanted after dropping new single GRRRLS a couple of days ago.
The lyrics, which have now been changed, read: ‘Hold my bag/ Do you see this s**t?/ I’mma sp*z.’
After a deserved public outcry, the lyrics now read: ‘Hold my bag/ Do you see this s**t?/ Hold me back.’
As a disabled woman, stumbling across this news on social media, my heart sank. No, I mumbled to myself, not again. Why are disabled people always an afterthought?
In the UK, the term ‘sp*z’ is commonly known as an offensive label for disabled people – in America, the term has evolved from an rarely used insult into a general term, more commonly used to refer to jumpiness, or a sudden emotional response.
Regardless of whether they’re intentional or not (in this case, Lizzo said it wasn’t), slurs of any kind are incompatible with the intersectional feminism that Lizzo’s brand (and wealth) is built on.
Ableism generally is on the upwards swing thanks to the pandemic, which means unfortunately, so is disabled trauma.
Phrases like ‘The weak must make way for the strong’, ‘we shouldn’t be putting our lives on hold for a minority’, and ‘they didn’t have a good quality of life anyway’ were 10 a penny.
It’s heartbreaking that it’s taken until 2022 to get to this point
Disabled lives have consistently been policed by, and dismissed by, non-disabled folk.
Over 9,200 disability hate crimes were reported to police across England and Wales in 2020-21 – that’s 25 every single day. Half of these incidents involved violence in some capacity, and only 1% were referred to the Crown Prosecution Service.
It’s predicted that lockdowns triggered online hate crimes to rise by over 52% too, according to research from disability charities Leonard Cheshire and United Response.
Unfortunately, it’s in this increasingly bleak context that Lizzo’s new song was released. I wanted so badly to like it, and overall, I did, it’s very catchy – but I simply could not overlook the damage I feared it could cause.
Sp*z is a word that’s thankfully fallen out of common vernacular over the past decade, and for good reason, too.
It’s a word many disabled folks have hurled their way, and is understandably triggering. Yet now many young TikTok users are being exposed to it for the first time due to the song going viral.
Growing up in Stoke-on-Trent, I heard this word many times, and almost definitely have used it myself. This was before my diagnoses (which I received as a teenager) shifted my world view drastically.
This isn’t Lizzo’s only inclusivity scandal of late either, further adding fuel to the fire. The artist recently released shapewear that came under fire for its small sizing and perpetuating an hourglass figure ideals associated with the likes of the Kardashians.
If your feminism doesn’t include every woman and every intersect – regardless of shape, health or any other protected characteristic, then it firmly belongs in the bin.
This begs two key questions: how diverse is her management team? And why on earth did nobody flag this concern in the countless production stages before the song’s release?
I would have hoped she knew the word could be disparaging. Though even if she was unaware of the connotations of the word in the UK, as a globally renowned artist, her team should’ve known better even if she did not.
Thankfully, the cultural icon responded promptly, especially as her public persona is so visibly attached to the body positivity movement.
The word has since been removed from the song, and Lizzo made an apology via her Instagram – saying the use of the slur was ‘unintentional’.
It was a very strong apology in my opinion, too, emphasising that, ‘as a fat Black woman in America’, she would never actively promote ‘derogatory language’ – especially, she adds, since she’s had ‘many hurtful words’ used against her.
The re-release of GRRRLS, with the slur removed mere days later, also ensures that the singer does not profit from bigotry. In my eyes, this can be seen as setting a gold standard on rectifying ignorance-induced harm – especially in a business like the music industry.
Many disabled folks including myself are relieved and satisfied by the end outcome now.
The new version that she has released is a good step and shows that she’s receptive to feedback and had no bad intent.
In light of her apology, the twitter-sphere has been ablaze with many fans pointing out that she’s being held to a much higher standard than the music industry more widely – especially male high-profile singers who use slurs prolifically without apology or recognition that they can be harmful.
Lizzo does, however, seem to understand that the fan base she has cultivated are more vulnerable than average to language that further marginalises overlooked and underrepresented demographics.
But this doesn’t mean we can overlook the role of misogynoir either.
Especially as a small minority of upset ‘fans’ are (ironically) directing slurs of their own towards the artist in response to the song, and many are still sending hate her way even after the retraction. Lizzo’s identity as a Black woman is inextricably linked to the backlash she’s faced.
Disabled spaces, like all others, still include racism, too. Most disability activists and consultants are white, and also male. While Lizzo was wrong to use the word, it has highlighted that both ableism and racism are still rife.
As a white disabled woman, I welcome her apology, and the amended version of GRRRLS makes me feel seen and included. We desperately need as many girl power anthems as we can get.
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I’m beyond thankful that she’s set an example that other artists can follow. Being open to critique in this way is crucial to building trust and solidarity with marginalised communities.
I, many more disabled people, and otherwise oppressed groups have long thought mainstream culture being more inclusive is a pipe dream.
This proves it is not.
With any luck Lizzo has set the tone on artists ditching derogatory language more generally. It’s heartbreaking that this is only starting to happen in 2022, but better late than never, I guess.
Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing jess.austin@metro.co.uk.
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