Lizzo’s new song ‘Grrrls’ has been criticised for an ableist lyric
Lizzo has been criticised for using an ableist slur in her new single ‘Grrrls’, where in the opening verse, she sings: “Hold my bag, bitch, hold my bag / Do you see this shit? I’ma sp*z.”While used colloquially in the United States with a similar meaning to ‘freak out’ or ‘go crazy’, the term emerges from the word ‘spastic’, which is used medically to describe the spasms one might experience from a condition like cerebral palsy. The term is often used in a derogative manner to describe those with disabilities, especially cerebral palsy.After the single was released last Friday (June 10), fans and disability activists took to social media to acknowledge their disappointment over the lyrics. Some called for the track to be pulled down and re-uploaded with the line removed.“I’m disappointed in @lizzo for using the word “sp@z” in her new song ‘Grrrls’,” wrote advocate Callum Stephen.