Television personality Jillian Michaels has issued a statement after being accused of body-shaming Lizzo in a recent interview.
On Wednesday 8 January, Michaels took part in an interview with BuzzFeed News morning talk show AM to DM.
During her discussion with host Alex Berg, the personal trainer questioned why people are “celebrating” Lizzo’s body, stating: “Why does it matter? Why aren’t we celebrating her music? ‘Cause it isn’t going to be awesome if she gets diabetes.”
The 45-year-old stated that she was “just being honest”, adding: “I love her music, my kid loves her music, but there’s never a moment when I’m like, ‘I’m so glad she’s overweight.’ Why do I even care? Why is it my job to care about her weight?”
Michaels received a barrage of criticism for her comments, with several people pointing out that people of all body sizes can be diagnosed with diabetes.
“This is just so violent. It hurts a wound a lot of us thought we’d healed,” one person said.
“The bottom line here? If fat women start being okay with being fat the weight loss industry will lose billions of dollars,” another remarked.
“It thrives on our lack of confidence. It’s fuelled by our self-hate. Comments like the ones here bolster that. They don’t really give a damn about our health.”
Following the criticism she received, Michaels issued a statement on Twitter seemingly directed at the situation.
“As I’ve stated repeatedly, we are all beautiful, worthy, and equally deserving,” she said.
“I also feel strongly that we love ourselves enough to acknowledge there are serious health consequences that come with obesity – heart disease, diabetes, cancer to name only a few.”
Michaels said she would “never wish” these health conditions on anyone, adding: “I would hope we prioritise our health because we LOVE ourselves and our bodies.”
While Michaels’ latest statement received support from some Twitter users, it also prompted further condemnation from others.
“Equating fat with automatically being unhealthy and slim with being healthy is inaccurate and incredibly dangerous,” one person wrote.
“Fat people don’t need to desire to change their bodies to be deserving of dignity.”
“So disappointing. You don’t know anything about the state of her health by what she looks like,” another added.
