Lizzo, whose real name is Melissa Viviane Jefferson, has recently said that she loves her body after getting criticized for a 10-day detox diet.
The 32-year-old rapper had to deal with backlash after sharing a video recap of her detox process on social media. Fans were surprised to see her trying the detox smoothie diet and said that posting it on social media was “triggering” for people who have eating disorders.
On Tuesday morning, Lizzo explained in her Instagram Story that she wanted to detox after she drank a lot and ate a lot of food that affected her stomach.
And in two other Instagram posts, she encouraged her fans to love their bodies, adding that it is something she has still been working on.
Lizzo said in a voiceover, “Your body is perfectly yours, even if it ain’t perfect to anybody else. If you only knew the complexities your body possesses you would be so proud of it.”
“I’m so proud of you,” she continued. “For making it this far in a society that gives us a head start into self-loathing, that hands us a dysmorphic mirror and leaves us desperate to catch up with who we think we should be.”
She added, “I’ve spent so much time in this body and I am no different than you — still struggling to find balance, still trying to mend my relationship with food, my anxiety, my back fat. It gets easier. I’ve spent my hardest days trying to love me.”
Lizzo when on to explain that her detox was not about losing weight.
She said, “I detoxed my body and I’m still fat. I love my body and I’m still fat. I’m beautiful and I’m still fat. These things are not mutually exclusive. To the people who look to me, please do not starve yourselves. I did not starve myself. I fed myself greens and water and fruit and protein and sunlight.”
The Juice singer said that she is not telling people to do the same detox diet that she did.
“You don’t have to do that to be beautiful or healthy,” she said. “That was my way. You can do life your way.”
“Remember, despite anything anyone says or does ‘DO WHAT YOU WANT WITH YOUR BODY,’” she added. The article originally appeared on PEOPLE.
