Until just over a week ago, pop sensation Lizzo was a beacon of self-love, body acceptance and female empowerment. Her feel-good track Good as Hell was more than a chart-topper — it was a feminist anthem for women around the world. Lizzo was far from a corporate sellout, her authenticity and unapologetic self-expression imploring fans to embrace their true selves.
This façade came crashing down when disturbing allegations by three former dancers were made against the pop star, her production company Big Grrrl Big Touring Inc and her dance team leader. The former dancers filed a lawsuit alleging, among many things, a hostile work environment, sexual harassment and weight shaming.
Lizzo has denied the allegations in a statement via Instagram and the truth or otherwise of what really happened will be tested in court. But the accusations have onlookers reeling: how could the popstar have built a successful career on the back of values such as “empowerment” and “inclusivity” when her employees claim this wasn’t their reality?
Dancing for Lizzo may not be a conventional career path but no matter what your 9-5 is, you’ve probably encountered professional situations where a brand or company’s buzzword-laden values are not what it lives by. It’s a scenario akin to the “gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss” trope directed at female entrepreneurs who advocate for women in business but built their own success on exploiting others.
One of the allegations against Lizzo concerns an afterparty at a strip club in Amsterdam. According to the lawsuit, while attendance at these parties was not mandatory, it influenced the job security of the dancers present. The lawsuit claims several instances of sexual harassment at the club, including a chant led by Lizzo goading her dancer Ariana Davis to touch the breasts of a nude performer. It’s reported that Davis repeatedly refused, but eventually acquiesced under pressure.
These claims are at odds with a purpose-led workplace built on a mantra of “self-empowerment”. While sex-positive discourse is empowering, as is a female attending a strip club of their own volition, a lack of regard for your employee’s bodily autonomy, particularly at a time where much has been done to voice the message that “no means no”, is far from empowering or “cool”.
The lawsuit against Lizzo also levels allegations of weight-shaming, including where Lizzo expressed “thinly veiled” comments about Davis’ weight gain on tour. This is a disheartening reality for a celebrity who has tirelessly championed “body normativity” — a term used to reclaim the “body positive” movement from the forces of commercialisation. And despite founding her own range of size-inclusive shapewear, Yitty, the accusations beg the question of whether Lizzo is just as guilty of exploiting the body positivity movement for its commercial value.
It seems Lizzo’s fall from grace is similar to the demise of the “girlboss”, where allegations of toxic workplaces and discriminatory behaviour led to a wave of departures of female founders from high-profile companies like Refinery29, Man Repeller and Reformation. While Lizzo’s brand of empowerment was a breath of fresh air to the overly polished, predominantly white and privileged “girlboss” culture, it’s a sobering wake-up call that what appears authentic is not what it seems.
Dancing for Lizzo was a dream job for Davis. The dancer is known for her appearance on Lizzo’s 2022 Amazon Prime series, Watch Out for the Big Grrrls, which followed individuals vying for a spot on the popstar’s upcoming tour. Davis would have given her all to land this opportunity, so it must have been traumatic to endure working for a person who loudly championed empowerment and inclusivity but allegedly, in private, did not uphold these values.
Whatever comes of the allegations, they’re an important reminder that we can’t always rely on other people or brands to feel empowered or be treated with respect, no matter their outward-facing values. At the end of the day, if we want to feel “good as hell”, we only have ourselves (and a good employment lawyer).
