Fans Called Out Beyoncé For An 'Ableist' Lyric & The Same Slur Also Got Lizzo In Trouble
Although a lot of people were blown away by Beyoncé's most recent album, some have accused her of using ableist language in one particular song — and the drama has prompted her to make some changes.
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Beyoncé released her long-awaited album, Renaissance, right in time for the long weekend, but it wasn't long before critics started calling her out for using an "ableist" slur in the song Heated, reported Glamour.
Activists and members of disabled communities were particularly upset by the line: "sp*zzing on that ass, sp*z on that ass."
The word “spaz” is derived from the word “spastic” and is often used derogatorily to describe people with cerebral palsy and others who experience seizures and muscle spasms.
Not too long ago, Lizzo faced similar backlash for using the word "sp*z" in her single Grrrls.
Lizzo reacted to the criticism by changing the song's lyrics and eliminating the offensive term completely. Instead, the new version of the song only repeats "hold my bag."
Beyonce is taking similar precautions and will be re-recording the single with new lyrics, although the new lyrics have not yet been announced.
Her publicist told the BBC that the lyrics were "not used intentionally in a harmful way" and that the offending words "will be replaced in the lyrics."
However, that doesn't mean people aren't upset that the mistake happened in the first place, especially after what happened with Lizzo.
One critic on Twitter described the lyric as a "slap in the face to me, the disabled community & the progress we tried to make with Lizzo."
\u201cSo @Beyonce used the word 'spaz' in her new song Heated. Feels like a slap in the face to me, the disabled community & the progress we tried to make with Lizzo. Guess I'll just keep telling the whole industry to 'do better' until ableist slurs disappear from music \ud83d\udc94\u201d— Hannah Diviney (@Hannah Diviney) 1659180429
"Guess I'll just keep telling the whole industry to 'do better' until ableist slurs disappear from music," continued the tweet.
Others came to Beyoncé's defence and argued that the word has an entirely different meaning in "black America," where it's coined as a term for being overexcited or hyper.
One Twitter user wrote: "Neither Beyoncé nor Lizzo should have changed it, Sp*z is NOT a slur in Black America, and we simply can not let folks across the pond dictate how we talk."
\u201cNeither Beyonc\u00e9 nor Lizzo should have changed it, Spaz is NOT a slur in Black America and we simply can not let folks across the pond dictate how we talk.\u201d— Juju (@Juju) 1659370141
"Sp*z is not a slur, not in the way Beyoncé and Lizzo used it. It's a slang that is referring to a type of jumpiness or general hyper activeness," wrote another.
\u201cSpaz is not a slur, not in the way Beyonc\u00e9 and Lizzo used it. It\u2019s a slang that is referring to a type of jumpiness or general hyper activeness.\u201d— \u2042\ud835\ude74\ud835\ude81\ud835\ude78\ud835\ude72\ud835\ude7a\ud835\ude70\u2042 (@\u2042\ud835\ude74\ud835\ude81\ud835\ude78\ud835\ude72\ud835\ude7a\ud835\ude70\u2042) 1659372300
Another person tweeted that they "never knew it was a slur till June when Lizzo received backlash for it."
\u201cBeyonc\u00e9 changing the lyrics to Heated because of spaz being said in it. I never knew it was a slur till June when Lizzo received backlash for it. I just know that we in the black community use it in a non harmful way because I have def said it.\u201d— chantel nanami. (@chantel nanami.) 1659368033
Beyonce's Renaissance is her first studio album since 2016 and her seventh solo album overall.
It's unclear when she will re-record the lyric but Lizzo dealt with the same issue in less than a day.
So now we wait and see!
