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Summary

Fans Are Calling Out Lizzo For Her New Song 'Grrrls' & They Say Her Lyrics Are 'Ableist'

"It’s 2022. Do better."

Lizzo close-up. Right: Lizzo in a pink dress.

Lizzo close-up. Right: Lizzo in a pink dress.

Global Staff Writer

This article contains content that may be upsetting to some of our readers.

Lizzo is getting called out for the lyrics to her new single Grrrls, which begins with a slur that critics say is "ableist."

In the first verse of the song, which was released on Friday, June 10, the Grammy-winning artist uses the word "spaz," a derogatory term for some members of the disabled community.

The word is derived from the term "spastic," which is an outdated and offensive way to refer to someone with Cerebral Palsy.

The song quickly got a lot of disability advocates angry over the weekend, and they're now asking that she delete her music and re-record the song without the word.

"Hey @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. ‘Spaz’ doesn’t mean freaked out or crazy. It’s an ableist slur. It’s 2022. Do better," tweeted @hannah_diviney.

"I 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," said @fairyfemmes.

"Y’all, I’m not defending LIZZO I’m literally f*cking disabled in multiple ways (autistic and chronically I’ll) I’ve been called spastic and spaz ALL MY LIFE!, hearing her use the slur hurt me BUT I just wanted to acknowledge it has another meaning in AAVE," said @zittiblackbeard.

Others pointed out that Lizzo, who is known for advocating for body positivity -- especially within queer, Black and plus-size communities -- failed to recognize the disabled community by using the slur.

"Ugh the normally brilliant @lizzo has apparently used a disability slur in her new song. It’s gutting to see someone who is so body positive deciding not to include disabled bodies in that. Really hope she takes the education on board, apologies, and removes the word. It’s 2022," tweeted @drfrancesryan.

Lizzo and her representatives have not addressed or made any public comments about the song.

Her next album, Special, drops July 15.

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    • Cata Balzano (she/her) was a Staff Writer for the Narcity Global Desk. With a Communications degree from Florida International University, she has worked with the Miami Herald, Billboard, Variety, and Telemundo within other media names, covering pop culture, fashion, entertainment and travel. Originally from South Florida, Cata grew up in a Colombian-Italian household, where she grasped a sense of a multicultural lifestyle from an early age. Cata speaks four languages, proudly owns three passports, and she has lived in Bogotá, New York City, Miami, London and the French Riviera before relocating to Rome in 2022. When she's not away exploring a new city, she is spending time around Italy with her French bulldog, Bentley.

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