Lizzo's Watch Out for the Big Grrrls

I was shocked when I came on here to see people's reviews of this show and found that the ratings have essentially been brigaded by people who hate Lizzo and/or fat Black women loving themselves unapologetically. If competition reality shows aren't for you, that's fine. But writing hateful reviews about the size of the show's cast is shameful behaviour. Yes, this show centres women whose BMI puts them in the 'obese' category. Nowhere (at least, from what I noticed) does the show say that non-fat viewers need to gain weight, or that there are zero health risks associated with being fat.

If you think this show is 'promoting obesity', watch one of the hundreds, if not *thousands* of shows on Amazon Prime where fat people only feature as the butt of fatphobic jokes, or in stereotypical roles (like as nannies). The world is not going to end because of one show where fat people are celebrated.

Anyway, onto the show itself. I didn't have high expectations from a celebrity-fronted reality show, so I was pleasantly surprised by how good this is. Lizzo comes across well and you don't need to be a super-fan to be interested. She seems happy to sit back and let some of her talented contacts go on camera to impart their wisdom about fitness, self love, choreography, and more. The self improvement angle reminds me of Queer Eye, but unlike Queer Eye, this is an extremely female-centred show. I'm not exaggerating when I say that cisgender men practically don't exist in this series. It'll ruffle some people, but as far as I'm concerned, it's a refreshing departure from the norm in TV in that respect! And Lizzo doesn't have time for the stereotype of women as 'catty' and incapable of forging bonds with others that they see as competition. Of course there's drama. It's a reality competition show! But the toxicity is really kept to the minimum compared to other shows that are obvious influences in other ways, such as America's Next Top Model or RuPaul's Drag Race.

If you love to see talented, diverse, and confident women on in the performing arts, you need to see this! Especially if you're dying for some body positive TV since Shrill got cancelled.

I'm not a big girl but I can appreciate the intent and purpose of this show. I certainly can't dance like these girls do. I'm glad they're being given the opportunity to showcase their gifts and chase their dreams! Who doesn't love that???

A hater. That's who. Ignore them.

I have to say upfront that as someone in their 50s, I am not the target audience for this show. So while all the "you go girl" and "slay queen" sentiments make me wince, I can see that a younger audience would find it inspirational.

Lizzo herself comes across as a fun lady, somewhat bawdy and sweet at the same time, but I think the show has pigeonholed her into being a hyper-positive role model. All people are a combination of good, bad, positive, critical, mean and kind, but we are only allowed to see the good facets of her personality, making her a one-dimensional host.

I would love to see what her full personality is like. The parts where the camera lingers after she delivers yet another platitude are quite telling - she's almost laughing at herself, joking around. I would have like see more of that.

The contestants themselves aren't really all that exciting - LIzzo is the star of the show, and I think most people are aware that shows like this only exist to prop up the host and increase their fan base. Their journey also lacks any real tension because the eliminations are not part of every show, and it's reasonably obvious who is going to make the cut.

All in all, it's a a good time passer and for some it will be more than that. Someone a lot younger and less cynical than me.

Ill start off by admitting that I'll pretty much watch anything that involves dancing. This show is fun, but the cinematography really detracts from the overall quality of the show. I can't even see the actual dancing because the camera is all over the place. Why would I want to watch a group number with the camera zoomed in on someone's waist or feet? I can't tell what's going on. Other that that, it's entertaining. There's a lot of haters in the comments but that doesn't really have anything to do with the quality of the show or the dancing.

Lizzo's show is groundbreaking and will undoubtedly make many uncomfortable and outraged and her unabashed acceptance of large bodies. Her focus on bringing women up instead of tearing them down is refreshing and well past due in our society and on reality shows. This show is about strength, coordination, commitment and confidence. These large bodied women do things that most women could not do regardless of body size. Thank you Lizzo and the team for putting yourselves out there and taking a stance against judgement and undeserved negative messaging around natural bodies of all shapes, sizes and skin tones.