Lizzo shared her refreshing perspective on weight fluctuations

Lizzo shared her refreshing perspective on weight fluctuations

As a Grammy and Emmy Award winner, Lizzo seems to have more important things to do than worry about weight fluctuations.

Despite seemingly endless chatter about her body, the 34-year-old simply doesn't stress about gaining or losing weight, according to a new interview with Vanity Fair. The "About Damn Time" singer, who served as the magazine's November cover star, opened up about how she's become one of the most famous body positivity icons in recent years, reminding haters that there's nothing inherently good or bad about body changes.

“Are my music and my weight so inextricably linked that if I lost weight I would lose fans or validity?” Lizzo asked, discussing her place in the body positivity conversation. “I don’t care,” she told Vanity Fair. "I lead a very healthy lifestyle - mentally and spiritually I try to keep everything I put into my body super clean. Health is something I prioritize, wherever that takes me physically."

Fans of Lizzo may know that she went vegan in 2020, but she's quick to note that her food choices aren't about weight loss. "People were like, 'You're vegan? What, are you frying the salad?'" she said. "I'm not vegan to lose weight, I just feel better when I eat plants," Lizzo told the publication.

When it comes to weight changes, food isn't necessarily to blame either; There could be other factors such as stress, the singer said. “Just when you think you have it all figured out, it changes again,” she explained. "I eat when I'm stressed, sometimes to the point where I don't realize how much I've eaten." (Read more: How to tell if you're under stress)

“It sucks that we associate weight gain with the negativity that causes it,” she continued. "It's the mixing of this beautiful thing that is food - and nourishing ourselves with it, but it's the stress that's the bad thing, not the 20 pounds," Lizzo said. "I feel very happy because I feel like gaining weight is no longer a bad thing. Neither is losing weight - it's neutral."

Lizzo said she's "embracing my back rolls" in a new Instagram post.

Some may consider Lizzo's recent comments about weight fluctuations as representative of body neutrality. "Body neutrality is exactly what it sounds like: you feel generally neutral about your body most days," Casey Bonano, RD, a Dallas-based nutritionist with a non-diet approach, previously told Shape. "It means that sometimes you feel positive about your body, maybe you have some negative thoughts, but often you don't think much about your body at all," she added.

While Lizzo takes a neutral approach to weight gain and loss, the singer is also a role model for positive body image. She has long been an advocate of self-love in her song lyrics, public appearances, interview quotes, and candid social media posts.

It's also worth noting that no one, including Lizzo, owes anyone else an explanation about their health or weight. Health is so much more than a number on the scale or in your jeans, and it's long past time to stop judging someone based on what they look like, famous or not. (Next up: Peloton instructor Ash Pryor has a message for people who leave "disgusting fat shaming comments")