The pop star’s decision to replace two words in her song “Heated” follows Lizzo’s removal of the same term, which has been used as a slur against disabled people, from her track “Grrrls.”
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| by : CNN |
Beyoncé's new album Renaissance has been met with overwhelmingly positive reviews, but the acclaimed singer faced backlash from activists after Friday's record-breaking release for a lyric deemed "ableist."
On the song "Heat," which Beyoncé co-wrote with Drake, she sings: "Spazzin' on that ass, spazz on that ass." The word "spaz" is a derogatory term for spastic diplegia, a form of cerebral palsy, which makes it difficult for people to control some muscles. It seems Queen Bey heard her critics as she will be tweaking the line.
On the song "Heat," which Beyoncé co-wrote with Drake, she sings: "Spazzin' on that ass, spazz on that ass." The word "spaz" is a derogatory term for spastic diplegia, a form of cerebral palsy, which makes it difficult for people to control some muscles. It seems Queen Bey heard her critics as she will be tweaking the line.
Beyoncé isn't the only star who unintentionally used the ableist slur. Lizzo used the offensive word on her hit song "Grrrls" earlier this summer ("I'm a spaz / I'm about to knock somebody out"). Writer and disability advocate, Hannah Diviney, tweeted at Lizzo, explaining "your new song makes me pretty angry & sad."
The message went viral and Lizzo changed the lyric.
"Let me make one thing clear: I never want to promote derogatory language. As a fat Black woman in America, I've had many hurtful words used against me so I [understand] the power words can have (whether intentionally or in my case, unintentionally)," she said in a statement.
The word at issue is based on spastic diplegia, a form of cerebral palsy that causes motor impairments in the legs or arms. In June, Hannah Diviney, a writer and disability advocate from Australia, tweeted about Lizzo’s use of the word, noting that to a person with cerebral palsy like her, spasticity referred to an “unending painful tightness” in her legs, and urged the singer to “do better.” In response to the criticism from fans and activists, Lizzo changed her song, “Grrrls,” and wrote in a statement that “this is the result of me listening and taking action.”
Disability right advocates have noted that the word has been more commonly used as a derogatory term in the United Kingdom compared to the United States. Scope, a group in Britain that campaigns for equality for people with disabilities, tweeted, “Disabled people’s experiences are not fodder for song lyrics,” and urged Beyoncé to follow Lizzo’s example.
So @Beyonce used the word 'spaz' in her new song Heated. Feels like a slap in the face to me, the disabled community & the progress we tried to make with Lizzo. Guess I'll just keep telling the whole industry to 'do better' until ableist slurs disappear from music 💔
— Hannah Diviney (@hannah_diviney) July 30, 2022
The message went viral and Lizzo changed the lyric.
"Let me make one thing clear: I never want to promote derogatory language. As a fat Black woman in America, I've had many hurtful words used against me so I [understand] the power words can have (whether intentionally or in my case, unintentionally)," she said in a statement.
Hey @lizzo my disability Cerebral Palsy is literally classified as Spastic Diplegia (where spasticity refers to unending painful tightness in my legs) your new song makes me pretty angry + sad. ‘Spaz’ doesn’t mean freaked out or crazy. It’s an ableist slur. It’s 2022. Do better.
— Hannah Diviney (@hannah_diviney) June 12, 2022
The word at issue is based on spastic diplegia, a form of cerebral palsy that causes motor impairments in the legs or arms. In June, Hannah Diviney, a writer and disability advocate from Australia, tweeted about Lizzo’s use of the word, noting that to a person with cerebral palsy like her, spasticity referred to an “unending painful tightness” in her legs, and urged the singer to “do better.” In response to the criticism from fans and activists, Lizzo changed her song, “Grrrls,” and wrote in a statement that “this is the result of me listening and taking action.”
Disability right advocates have noted that the word has been more commonly used as a derogatory term in the United Kingdom compared to the United States. Scope, a group in Britain that campaigns for equality for people with disabilities, tweeted, “Disabled people’s experiences are not fodder for song lyrics,” and urged Beyoncé to follow Lizzo’s example.
