Lizzo’s latest song, “Grrrls,” is causing a bit of a stir with fans and non-fans alike who are questioning one of the lyrics. Specifically, many disability advocates are asking Lizzo to change a line in the first verse, calling it offensive and ableist.
In the song, Lizzo sings, “Hold my bag, bitch, hold my bag/ Do you see this shit? I’ma sp*z,” and though the word has become a bit commonplace in the modern vernacular, the root of the word is “spastic,” which is used as a medical term for spasms. Disability advocates are calling out the ableism of the word, which has been used in the past as a derogatory term in relation to cerebral palsy or similar disabilities.
Plenty of people took to Twitter to discuss the song, in part to call Lizzo out, but also to educate others who may not have realized the negative connotations of the word.
\u201cHey @lizzo please remove the word "spaz" from your new song because it's a slur and really offensive to the disabled community \n\nFrom a disappointed fan \ud83d\ude14\ud83d\udc94\u201d— Shelby \ud83d\udda4 (@Shelby \ud83d\udda4) 1654902420
\u201cThe most predictable part of the whole @lizzo saga is the way that SO MANY non-disabled people have felt entitled to tell disabled people what is and isn\u2019t a slur. If a marginalised group tells you something is offensive and harmful, it\u2019s not your job to argue the point. 1/2\u201d— Lorna (@Lorna) 1655025928
\u201c@lizzo I love you but please remove the ableist slur \u201cspaz\u201d from your song. It offends the disability community that I am a part of\u201d— Kayla Rodriguez (@Kayla Rodriguez) 1654990529
\u201cI think the situation with lizzo using spaz needs to be a conversation led by disabled, Black Americans (I want to make note that I am a Black disabled person). A lot of people dominating the conversation are White and disabled, as well as mostly from the UK.\u201d— clementine (@clementine) 1654987910
Disability advocate Hannah Diviney tweeted over the weekend, “my disability Cerebral Palsy is literally classified as Spastic Diplegia (where spasticity refers to unending painful tightness in my legs) your new song makes me pretty angry + sad. ‘Spaz’ doesn’t mean freaked out or crazy. It’s an ableist slur. It’s 2022. Do better.”
\u201cHey @lizzo my disability Cerebral Palsy is literally classified as Spastic Diplegia (where spasticity refers to unending painful tightness in my legs) your new song makes me pretty angry + sad. \u2018Spaz\u2019 doesn\u2019t mean freaked out or crazy. It\u2019s an ableist slur. It\u2019s 2022. Do better.\u201d— Hannah Diviney (@Hannah Diviney) 1655002677
Fellow advocate Callum Stephen also tweeted over the weekend, noting that Lizzo has long been an advocate for plus-size women, Black women and “others whom society treats poorly,” so it felt especially disappointing for her to use this word in her song. Stephen added, “I’d like to add that this is not a hate tweet; it’s a call for a talented person in a position of power who knows how to use their platform for good to approach ableism with greater sensitivity and apologise for their mistake. I’m not here to cancel Lizzo, but to inspire change.”
\u201cI\u2019m disappointed in @lizzo for using the word \u201csp@z\u201d in her new song \u201cGrrrls\u201d. There\u2019s no excuse for using an ableist insult in a song in 2022. As someone who champions women, plus size people and others whom society treats poorly, Lizzo preaches inclusivity and should do better.\u201d— Callum Stephen (He/Him) (@Callum Stephen (He/Him)) 1654981648
Lizzo has yet to respond to the criticism from fans on “Grrrls.”
Photo via Getty/ Dave Simpson/ WireImage
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