By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
Everyone's Dragging Jillian Michaels for Fat-Shaming Lizzo
The former trainer on The Biggest Loser continues to spout harmful narratives about health and beauty.
Even with a move toward celebrating all body types, former Biggest Loser trainer Jillian Michaels peddled in a harmful narrative about musician Lizzo’s body on BuzzFeed’s AM2DM.
There to promote her My Fitness app, Michaels responded with hackneyed talking points when AM2DM cohost Alex Berg mentioned that she loved that women like Ashley Graham and multi-Grammy-nominated Lizzo are helping to change the narrative about beauty. But Michaels interrupted.
"Why are we celebrating her body? Why does it matter? Why aren’t we celebrating her music? 'Cause it isn’t going to be awesome if she gets diabetes," Michaels said. "I’m just being honest. 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?"
\u201c.@JillianMichaels on Lizzo: "Why are we celebrating her body? Why does it matter? Why aren't we celebrating her music? 'Cause it isn't gonna be awesome if she gets diabetes."\u201d— AM2DM by BuzzFeed News (@AM2DM by BuzzFeed News) 1578505560
Berg later tweeted, "What I was going to say here is that Lizzo has been incredibly important in giving so many of us a possibility model for accepting our bodies as we are and celebrating bodies that are normally ridiculed. Had to restrain myself from defending Lizzo’s honor!"
Michaels, who is queer, rose to fame in the aughts as a fitness trainer who pushed people to their limits on The Biggest Loser. Her My Fitness app is marketed as "The most comprehensive fitness app on the market. It allows Jillian to be your personal trainer—anytime, anywhere."
Meanwhile, Lizzo is having a killer year. Her songs "Juice," "Truth Hurts," and "Good as Hell" are massive hits, and she is currently nominated for eight Grammy Awards.
Soon after AM2DM posted the clip of Michaels’s mini tirade about weight, Twitter users roundly rebuked her, including author Roxane Gay.
Here are some of the Twitter responses calling Michaels out for her brand of health and beauty:
\u201c@AM2DM @JillianMichaels I have Type II diabetes and my BMI is 23. My brother\u2019s BMI is 39, he has a sedentary job (trucker) and he does not have diabetes. \nAlso, Jillian is racist trash. \n#MakeItMakeSense\u201d— Jax (@Jax) 1578515006
None— _hannah (@_hannah) 1578509671
\u201c@AM2DM @JillianMichaels Jillian Michaels is a professional torturer. Why give her this space when she has whole TV shows to spout her fat phobic rhetoric already\u201d— Bree Davies (@Bree Davies) 1578505922
\u201c@AM2DM @JillianMichaels I can\u2019t wait for Lizzo to torch this lady back to the Stone Age.\u201d— Brendel (@Brendel) 1578510412
\u201c@AM2DM @JillianMichaels JM has a lot to lose if people begin demanding we treat all bodies with respect. how come you\u2019re the only one that gets to talk about bodies, J? your outdated, stigmatizing fearmongering is tired.\u201d— KathleenMeehan MS RD (@KathleenMeehan MS RD) 1578511839
Tracy E. Gilchrist is the VP, Executive Producer of Entertainment for the Advocate Channel. A media veteran, she writes about the intersections of LGBTQ+ equality and pop culture. Previously, she was the editor-in-chief of The Advocate and the first feminism editor for the 55-year-old brand. In 2017, she launched the company's first podcast, The Advocates. She is an experienced broadcast interviewer, panel moderator, and public speaker who has delivered her talk, "Pandora's Box to Pose: Game-changing Visibility in Film and TV," at universities throughout the country.
Tracy E. Gilchrist is the VP, Executive Producer of Entertainment for the Advocate Channel. A media veteran, she writes about the intersections of LGBTQ+ equality and pop culture. Previously, she was the editor-in-chief of The Advocate and the first feminism editor for the 55-year-old brand. In 2017, she launched the company's first podcast, The Advocates. She is an experienced broadcast interviewer, panel moderator, and public speaker who has delivered her talk, "Pandora's Box to Pose: Game-changing Visibility in Film and TV," at universities throughout the country.
