What Did Lizzo Do? She Simply Responded To Claims She Bullied Former Dancers

She’s outwardly a champion of dimension inclusivity and variety, so it comes as a shock to find out about what did Lizzo do and why she’s being sued.

Born Melissa Viviane Jefferson, the rapper-singer-songwriter has been outspoken on physique picture from the start. “I believe it’s lazy for me to only say I’m physique optimistic at this level,” Lizzo informed Vogue in 2020. “It’s simple. I wish to be physique normative. I need to normalize my physique.”

She continued: “Now, you take a look at the hashtag ‘physique optimistic,’ and also you see smaller-framed women, curvier women. Lotta white women. And I really feel no methods about that, as a result of inclusivity is what my message is at all times about. I’m glad that this dialog is being included within the mainstream narrative,” she stated. “What I don’t like is how the people who this time period was created for will not be benefiting from it. Ladies with again fats, women with bellies that grasp, women with thighs that aren’t separated, that overlap. Ladies with stretch marks. You recognize, women who’re within the 18-plus membership.”

Certainly, she has a catalog of songs devoted to loving oneself, with lyrics like “Thick thighs save lives” in her music “Tempo” and “Mirror, mirror on the wall, inform me what you see / It’s that, oh my God, it’s lookin’ heavenly” in “Scuse Me”. So the reply to the query of what did Lizzo do will shock many followers.

What did Lizzo do?

What did Lizzo do? Three of Lizzo’s former dancers have accused the singer of sexual harassment and making a hostile work atmosphere, in response to a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court docket on August 1, 2023, and supplied to StyleCaster by the plaintiffs’ legislation agency.

The criticism was filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court docket towards Melissa Viviane Jefferson, her manufacturing firm Massive Grrrl Massive Touring, Inc. (BGBT), and Shirlene Quigley, the captain of Lizzo’s dance workforce. Plaintiffs Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams and Noelle Rodriguez allege sexual, non secular and racial harassment, incapacity discrimination, assault and false imprisonment, amongst different surprising allegations.

“The beautiful nature of how Lizzo and her administration workforce handled their performers appears to go towards all the pieces Lizzo stands for publicly, whereas privately she weight-shames her dancers and demeans them in methods that aren’t solely unlawful however completely demoralizing,” stated the plaintiffs’ lawyer Ron Zambrano, a associate and Employment Litigation Chair at West Coast Employment Attorneys.

In March 2021, Davis and Williams met Lizzo whereas making ready to be contestants on her actuality TV present, Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Massive Grrrls to compete for an opportunity to hitch the artist reside on stage. Individually, Rodriguez was employed in Could 2021 to carry out in Lizzo’s “Rumors” music video and stayed on as a part of the dance workforce.

In accordance with the lawsuit, contestants on the rapper’s present have been informed they’d be required to take part in a nude picture shoot, one thing that was significantly distressing to Davis, who feared she could be despatched house if she refused to take action. “Ms. Davis broke down in tears on set whereas struggling to decide on between a once-in-a-lifetime profession alternative and placing her physique on show towards her will,” the lawsuit states. “This expertise foreshadowed the sexually charged and uncomfortable atmosphere Lizzo’s workers could be compelled to endure.”

Hostilities allegedly reached one other excessive level in February 2023 after the plaintiffs carried out a present with Lizzo in Amsterdam. The lawsuit claims that Lizzo invited her dance crew to the notorious Pink Gentle District, which is house to intercourse employees, strip golf equipment, and different types of grownup leisure. It wasn’t a requirement to attend however the plaintiffs felt obligated out of concern of dropping their jobs.

“The principle occasion of the night time was a membership referred to as Bananenbar, the place patrons are allowed to work together with utterly nude performers,” the lawsuit states. “Whereas at Bananenbar, issues rapidly received out of hand. Lizzo started inviting forged members to take turns touching the nude performers, catching dildos launched from the performers’ vaginas, and consuming bananas protruding from the performers’ vaginas. Lizzo then turned her consideration to Ms. Davis and started pressuring Ms. Davis to the touch the breasts of one of many nude girls performing on the membership. Lizzo started main a chant goading Ms. Davis. Ms. Davis stated 3 times, loud sufficient for all to listen to, ‘I’m good,’ expressing her want to not contact the performer.”

Included within the lawsuit are additionally allegations of racism. “BGBT administration handled the Black members of the dance workforce in a different way than different members. BGBT’s administration workforce consisted fully of white Europeans who typically accused the Black members of the dance workforce of being lazy, unprofessional, and having dangerous attitudes,” it learn. “Not solely do these phrases ring acquainted as tropes used to disparage and discourage Black girls from advocating for themselves, however the identical accusations weren’t levied towards dancers who will not be Black.” As well as, the criticism continues, “Solely the dance forged—comprised of full-figured girls of colour—have been ever spoken to on this method, giving Plaintiffs the impression that these feedback have been charged with racial and fat-phobic animus.”

Lizzo responds to lawsuit

On Thursday, August 3, 2023, Lizzo responded to the lawsuit with a press release shared on Instagram, having misplaced 123,489 followers on the platform for the reason that information broke, in response to KingsCasinoBonus.

“Normally I select not to answer false allegations however these are as unbelievable as they sound and too outrageous to not be addressed,” Lizzo stated in a press release posted on social media. “These sensationalized tales are coming from former workers who’ve already publicly admitted that they have been informed their habits on tour was inappropriate and unprofessional.”

The assertion continued: “As an artist, I’ve at all times been very enthusiastic about what I do. I take my music and my performances severely as a result of, on the finish of the day, I solely need to put out the very best artwork that represents me and my followers. With ardour comes onerous work and excessive requirements. Typically I’ve made onerous choices but it surely’s by no means my intention to make anybody really feel uncomfortable or like they aren’t valued as an vital a part of the workforce.

“I’m not right here to be checked out as a sufferer, however I additionally know that I’m not the villain that individuals and the media have portrayed me to be these previous few days. I’m very open with my sexuality and expressing myself, however I can’t settle for or permit folks to make use of that openness to make me out to be one thing I’m not. There may be nothing I take extra severely than the respect we deserve as girls on the planet. I do know what it feels prefer to be physique shamed each day and would completely by no means criticize or terminate an worker due to their weight. I’m damage however I can’t let the nice work I’ve finished on the planet be overshadowed by this. I need to thank everybody who has reached out in assist to raise me up throughout this troublesome time.”

What has Lizzo stated about physique positivity?

In March 2022, the Grammy winner was the duvet star of Individuals‘s Girls Altering the World Problem. “I believe I’ve a very scorching physique! I’m a physique icon, and I’m embracing that an increasing number of every single day,” she stated on the time.

“It is probably not one particular person’s splendid physique sort identical to, say, Kim Kardashian won’t be somebody’s splendid, however she’s a physique icon and has created a modern-day magnificence customary. And what I’m doing is moving into my confidence and my energy to create my very own magnificence customary. And sooner or later that may simply be the customary.” She continued: “I deserve the eye. I’m gifted, I’m younger, I’m scorching. You recognize? And I’ve labored onerous.”

That very same 12 months, Lizzo launched Yitty shapewear, made for “EVERY. BODY. PERIOD.” in response to the advertising and marketing supplies.  “I’m promoting that greater than I’m promoting thongs, greater than I’m promoting bodysuits or I’m promoting shapewear,” she informed the New York Occasions. “I’m promoting a mentality that ‘I can do what I would like with my physique, put on what I would like and really feel good whereas doing it.’” That no matter physique you might be exhibiting off, it’s not, “‘Oh, how courageous.’ “No. No extra of that. Nothing to see right here however a physique, identical to your physique.”

Our mission at STYLECASTER is to carry type to the folks, and we solely characteristic merchandise we predict you’ll love as a lot as we do. Please notice that if you buy one thing by clicking on a hyperlink inside this story, we could obtain a small fee from the sale.