Cancel culture has been a hot topic of discussion for the past few years, and at the same time, cultural appropriation has been one for even longer. Over the weekend, Lizzo connected the two topics in an unexpected way in a tweet that she worried came at “a random time” but felt important enough to her to explain. Calling the current obsession with cancel culture an example of appropriation, the singer broke down how the former changed as its ubiquity grew.
“This may be a random time to say this but it’s on my heart…” she wrote. “Cancel culture is appropriation.” Heading off the knee-jerk reactions she saw coming, she explained, “There was real outrage from truly marginalized people and now it’s become trendy, misused, and misdirected. I hope we can phase out of this & focus our outrage on the real problems.”
This may be a random time to say this but it’s on my heart.. cancel culture is appropriation.
There was real outrage from truly marginalized people and now it’s become trendy, misused and misdirected.
I hope we can phase out of this & focus our outrage on the real problems.
— FOLLOW @YITTY (@lizzo) January 8, 2023
Commenters’ reactions varied, with some pointing out a similar parallel in the rise of the misuse of the term “woke.” “You’ve reminded me of how white nationalists have appropriated ‘woke’ to weaponize against the community that the expression hails from, as well,” read one reply. However, others argued against Lizzo’s statement — although it must be noted most of those didn’t really seem to engage with the substance of it.
Lizzo has always been an outspoken voice on sensitive subjects like body image, cultural identity, and community activism. She may have thought it was a “random time” to address her thoughts, but it’s never a bad time to talk about ways to make the world a better, more equitable, kinder place.
Lizzo is a Warner Music artist. .
