Lizzo
Since the first time I heard “Truth Hurts” back in 2019, Lizzo has easily turned into one of my all-time favorite artists. I was instantly drawn to her uplifting, catchy lyrics and boss-bitch attitude, and genuinely appreciate everything that she and her music stand for — feminism, body-positivity, inclusivity, confidence. So, when I woke up this past summer and found that #LizzoIsOverParty was trending on Twitter, I kind-of started panicking.
Originating in 2015 as somewhat of a meme, social media users have been more consistently utilizing the #isoverparty hashtag over quarantine to show that not only are they calling a celeb out and cancelling them, they are also vengefully celebrating being a part of someone’s attempted demise. So, what did Lizzo do to “warrant her guilty” of such a public shaming?
Essentially, a couple videos of her past interactions with singer Harry Styles resurfaced, in which Directioners (the self-proclaimed name of One Direction’s hardcore fans) accused Lizzo of “sexualizing” Styles and making “inappropriate” gestures toward him. In the first clip, Harry joins Lizzo at her concert in Miami in January 2020, and playfully reaches out to grab him while the two are singing. Harry makes a similar gesture right back, and later did explain that the pair are great, sometimes flirty, friends who often choreograph or plan these kinds of “moves” into performances. Meanwhile, in the second video, a TikTok Lizzo posted to her own account, the singer simply eats a popsicle — apparently suggestively to some? — while jamming out to a Styles’ performance.
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These members of the One Direction fandom took primarily to Twitter to express their newfound hatred for Lizzo, accusing her of being “predatory” and “sexually-harassing.” Interestingly, many of these comments and claims referenced a “double standard between men and women,” where if a male artist acted similarly in making a gesture toward a female artist they would be called out and shunned instantly in the media. But… would they really?
It’s no secret that men have been sexualizing women in their music for decades. In a 2012 study, it was found that in a sample of Billboard Hot 100 top songs from 1959 to 2009, male artists’ lyrics were significantly more likely to contain sexualization. In interviews with 75 female producers or songwriters in 2019, 39% said that stereotyping and sexualization were even impediments to their careers. The research and statistics go on and on, but overall, it’s clear that misogyny and sex sell, and that it has become a societal norm for women to be objectified by the male gaze in music. What’s more is that, in terms of the Lizzo scandal, could the real “double standard” revolve around the extent to which men and women are “allowed” to bring up ideas of sex in their music and shows? Why is that female artists like Ariana Grande or Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion face backlash, or get “cancelled,” like Lizzo, for incorporating instances of sexuality or sex positivity in their music and performances? Why is the mainstream media and society still so uncomfortable with women embracing their bodies or flaunting notions of sexual liberation?
Now, it’s important to note again that, here, Lizzo’s move toward Styles was agreed upon consensually, a piece of playful choreography reflective of the duo’s budding friendship. However, the way in which the whole situation played out does open the door for some interesting conversations surrounding the nuance within cancel culture.
For example, Lizzo’s “cancellation” was largely rooted in her identity. We’ve already seen how gender and gender norms caused some to be shocked at the sight of a woman embracing her sexual agency. But, further, many of Lizzo’s fans that came to her defense on social media also argued that her race and body-type were factors that led to how quickly and how harshly she was criticized. Were these diehard Harry Styles fans “mad” because they truly believed Lizzo was acting “inappropriately” toward the singer? Or did they use this flirtatious incident to air out anti-Black, fatphobic microaggressions? How would this “cancellation” situation have played out differently if there were different identity politics at play? If Lizzo were a man, or White, or fell neatly into society’s heteronormative “beauty standard” then would this “issue” have been quickly framed as a non-issue and swept under the rug?
Additionally, this case goes to show the role that fandoms play in catalyzing instances of cancel culture. It’d be a mistake to not note that most, if not all, of the people trying to cancel Lizzo had one thing in common: their undying love for Harry Styles. In the modern day, ideals of fans and fandoms have even leveled beyond just pure love and admiration into even more intensified “stans” and “standoms,” which have been best described by journalist Mat Whitehead as “crazed fans” who most often “express their love through hate.” Their name is derived from Eminem’s 2000 song, “Stan,” whose lyrics detail a story of an Eminem superfan who obsessively sends letters to the rapper before eventually kidnapping and killing his pregnant girlfriend. Yeah… it’s dark. So, clearly, stans are unique because of this kind of overwhelming, borderline dangerous, outwardly obsessive emotional attachment to their favorite celebrity. It’s as if they will do anything and everything to show their support and tear down any competition, fixating to the point of stalking celebrities, bullying rivals, and harassing critics.
In this way, it becomes somewhat easier to see how members of the Harry Styles’ standom single handedly drove the attempt to cancel Lizzo. She acted somewhat flirtatious toward their heartthrob, the stans viewed that as a threatening move, and so, they decided she would simply have to be “cancelled.”
However, it’s clear that standom “cancellations” often lack both the care and actual, “cancellable” offense to have any real long-lasting effects. They are short-lived and somewhat pseudo. Today, Lizzo is killing the game on TikTok — sharing vegan recipes, interacting with fans, and showing a real and raw look into her life. Her music consistently tops the charts and her songs have permanent places on countless Spotify playlists.
She never made or released any sort of public “apology” for these Harry Styles videos. And frankly, I don’t think she had to. As journalist Glenn Gamboa wrote, “By proving that the trolls can’t keep her from achieving the success she has worked hard for, Lizzo has become “uncancellable” and has taken back the power the cancel culture attempts to steal from this victim.”
After all, no one should have to apologize for making the music that they want to make, expressing themselves how they want to express themselves on stage, or really, just thriving.