Faced with the accusations, she speaks out. American singer Lizzo reacted Thursday in a long post published on her Instagram account. Through four pages of text, she returns to the accusations of harassment made against her by three former dancers.
"The last few days have been extremely difficult and disappointing. My work ethic, morals and respect have been questioned," she said. The American artist, committed in particular to the rights of overweight people and the LGBT + community, defends values of tolerance and acceptance of others. But that wouldn't always be the case behind the scenes.
Accusations "too outrageous not to be addressed"
Plaintiffs Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams and Noelle Rodriguez reported "sexual, religious and racial harassment, disability discrimination, assault and forcible confinement, among other things," their law firm said in a statement. The first two were fired, while the third chose to resign "in the face of this distressing behavior."
"I usually choose not to respond to false allegations, but these are ... too outrageous not to be addressed," Lizzo replied. In particular, she highlighted the fact that the three dancers accusing her have already publicly acknowledged having been cropped during the tours due to "inappropriate and unprofessional" behavior.
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"As an artist, I've always been very passionate about what I do. I take my music and my performances seriously (...). Passion comes with hard work and high demands. Sometimes I have to make tough decisions, but it's never with the intention of making someone uncomfortable or making them feel like they're not considered a full member of the team," she insisted on Instagram to defend herself.
"I would never fire an employee because of their weight"
"I'm not here to be seen as a victim, but I also know that I'm not the villain that people and the media have portrayed in recent days," Lizzo said. There's nothing in the world I don't take more seriously than the respect we deserve as women. I know what it feels like to be a victim of body-shaming on a daily basis and I would never criticize or fire an employee because of their weight."
"Hurt", she wished to conclude by stressing that she would not let the work she had done "be overshadowed by this case", thanking all those who had given her their support in this period.