Instagram and Facebook have removed hateful comments users posted on Lizzo’s accounts, after the pop singer emotionally revealed that she was a victim of what she describe as fat-phobic, racist and hurtful attacks. A Facebook spokesperson confirmed that the statements the Grammy Award-winning R&B musician received on her social media pages were deleted to The Hollywood Reporter.
During an Instagram Live, Lizzo discussed how she was affected by the hurtful remarks, which go against Facebook’s and Instagram’s rules against hate speech and harassment, the spokesperson said. During the video, which has since been deleted, the artist became emotional as she shared how receiving the hateful comments has negatively affected her.
Lizzo noted that the criticism of her recent work is painful because she spent 12-hour days rehearsing writing music, recording in the studio, filming and press engagements. So she expressed that she would love for the public to support her work.
“On the days when I should feel the happiest, it just — I feel so down,” the hip-hop singer revealed during her Instagram Live. “Sometimes I feel like the world just don’t love me back. It’s like it doesn’t matter how much positive energy you put into the world, you’re still gonna have people who have something mean to say about you.”
Lizzo then went on to specifically fight back against the people who were making derogatory comments about her appearance. “What I won’t accept is y’all doing this to Black women over and over and over again, especially us big Black girls,” she said.
“When we don’t fit into the box that you want to put us in, you just unleash hatred onto us. It’s not cool. I’m doing this shit for the big Black women in the future who just want to live their lives without being scrutinized or put into boxes,” the musician added.
Lizzo’s emotional message to the world comes after she reunited with her Hustlers co-star, Cardi B, to release the single, Rumors, last week. Cardi B tweeted her support for her fellow performer, saying: “When you stand up for yourself they claim your problematic & sensitive. When you don’t they tear you apart until you crying like this. Whether you skinny, big, plastic, they going to always try to put their insecurities on you. Remember these are nerds looking at the popular table.”
Lizzo’s Instagram Live against the derogatory comments she received was posted on her account a week after the social media platform unveiled a new feature that allows users to limit comments and DM requests during spikes of increased attention. The feature, which is optional for users, automatically hides comments from accounts that don’t follow the user or only recently followed the user.