Lizzo's Shapewear Brand Started a Conversation On Body Image

Lizzo is launching her own shapewear brand — a 100-piece collaboration with Fabletics called Yitty. The news has much of the singer's global fanbase psyched about her latest venture, especially since it will include sizes XS to 6X. Amid the excitement, though, came some social media criticism that shapewear, which has traditionally served to hide or conceal "flaws" and/or make the body appear slimmer, runs contrary to Lizzo's signature brand of unconditional self-love. It's criticism that Lizzo herself has tackled head-on ahead of Yitty's official launch on April 12.

ICYMI, yesterday Lizzo officially unveiled her new shapewear line by way of a cheeky butt tattoo, declaring that Yitty is not only a "dream five years in the making," but that her offerings will be "For Every Damn Body." Yitty's sizing is undoubtedly more inclusive than its competitors, such as Kim Kardashian's SKIMS, which includes up to 4X/5X; Spanx, which includes up to 3X; and Yummie, which stops at 2X/3X. But for some, it seems that size inclusivity doesn't make up for the premise of shapewear. As the New York Times points out, the centuries-long history of shapewear began with painful, restrictive, and unhealthy corsets and girdles. (

Twitter user @blackfatqueer wrote, "Yeah I'm still good on shapewear. Even if it's designed by someone fat 😂." Another, @yesebonywrites, tweeted: "Telling us to embrace our bodies as they are and then coming out with shapewear does not sit right with my soul."

Of course, not everyone on Twitter had negative comments. Others were thrilled by the announcement, including @fatfabfeminest who posted, "yitty is just another reason why I am and have always been a lizzo stan. fat people have been forced to accept scraps...they aren't making room for us so she said screw that and is doing it herself!"

Lizzo herself is acknowledging commentary that shapewear contradicts what she hopes is the message that people take away from her unabashed self-love. "I'm selling a mentality that 'I can do what I want with my body, wear what I want and feel good while doing it'" — i.e., that it's not "brave" to love your body and want to feel good in the skin you're in, she told the Times "No. No more of that. Nothing to see here but a body, just like your body," she said. A press release announcing the launch doubled down on that notion, stating that the brand "champions body normativity and self-love." (Read more: What Is Body Neutrality, Exactly?)

In an interview with Harper's Bazaar, the 33-year-old explained why it's so important for her to flip the script on shapewear. "As early as I started to learn to be ashamed of my body, I was in shapewear. I was in girdles, and I was binding my stomach," to the point of cutting her skin and bleeding, reported the magazine. "I thought it was super normal to be that dissatisfied and that willing to hide my body," she said.

She elaborated a bit more on that in a peek into Yitty's colorful, bold offerings on Instagram, calling the brand a "a love letter to my big grrrls, and a welcome letter to Every Body" next to a shot of herself with five fellow Yitty models. "This is *not* an invitation to change who you are," she continued in her caption. "This is an opportunity to BE who you are on your terms. I don't know about y'all— but I'm sick of people telling me how I'm supposed to look and feel about my body. I'm tired of discomfort being synonymous with sexy. If it's uncomfortable TAKE IT OFF. And if it makes you feel good PUT IT ON." She added that Yitty "isn't just shapewear, it's your chance to reclaim your body and redefine your beauty standard."

True to Lizzo's point: If you want to wear shapewear, you should be able to choose from high-quality options that fit your body and actually feel good (as hell).