“This display of self-hate is sad” — Internet reacts as Lizzo seemingly teases new music by bidding farewell to her ‘Special’ era

American singer Lizzo has seemingly teased new music on February 13. The Grammy-winning artist posted the cover of her last album, Special, on Instagram and bid farewell to her old music. Soon after, she posted a clip on Instagram, spray-painting her 2022 album's cover, writing,

"Bye b*tch."

The album cover shows the singer wearing nothing but a sequined headpiece. According to Rolling Stone's report, on February 14, Lizzo went live on Twitch and announced new music by dropping a trailer. The singer said:

"I want to introduce to you guys, the newest piece of content from the new era. I’ve been working on new music for the last two years. I took my time and I did it right. The new era has begun today, right now, with you, my chat."

Lizzo's Instagram reel was reposted on X by the X page @Raindropsmedia1, and netizens reacted with mixed feelings.

One netizen named @Cockiana_Nikki replied to the tweet, calling out the singer. They claimed the act of vandalizing an old picture of one is a display of self-hate. The X user advised Lizzo to love herself no matter what type of body she has. They wrote,

"This display of self-hate is sad.. love on yourself no matter how big or skinny you are."

Some netizens criticized the singer, calling her past statements on body positivity "performative." One netizen named @poooshiesty pointed out that self-hate isn't talked about enough, and people who suffer from it never love themselves unconditionally.

"You have to love yourself from within... yes... get healthier... but to loathe image... It just goes to show that a lot of the things were performative." A netizen wrote on X.

"I love that she’s happy with her new look, but wasn’t that album titled “Special” because she was praising how she looked & felt about herself before? So what exactly is she saying bye to?" Another X user wrote.

"The one aspect of significant body change that typically doesn’t get addressed is self-hate or self-loathing and there’s always a fear of returning to the body or person they never learned to love unconditionally." Another netizen wrote.

Some netizens supported Lizzo and criticized people for always dragging her down. One fan (@KarmaLeVenge) said the singer deserves to celebrate her new self. Another (@rawfuhel) claimed netizens misinterpreted her message. They claimed the singer wanted to leave behind her old music and welcome a new era of music.

"Yal did the same thing to missy Elliot. Yal be projecting. Her destroying her picture bothers yal more than her destroying her health. That kind makes all the “self love” and “body positivity” stuff look hypocritical and contradicting. Stop the madness gang. Be positive with her." A netizen wrote on X.

"Let’s be clear Lizzo definitely loved herself but no matter how much she showed that yall said there was no excuse to make for being how big she was. Yall dragged year after year and convinced her differently. I don’t like it but she deserves to CELEBRATE HERSELF!" Another netizen wrote.

"I think you’re misinterpreting the message, she could be officially saying goodbye to this album era and possibly hinting a new album coming soon. Just some thoughts which I think are more plausible in comparison." Another X user wrote.

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About Lizzo's last album, Special

Lizzo "The Special Tour 2023" - Sydney - Image via Getty

Lizzo's fourth studio album, Special, was released in July 2022. The album was a hit as it peaked at number two on the US Billboard 200 chart. It received two nominations at the 65th Grammy Awards for Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album.

The lead single, About Damn Time, was nominated for Record of the Year, with additional nominations for Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance, and Lizzo won a Grammy in the Record of the Year category. The single also peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It was the first song by a lead female artist to reach the number-one spot in 2022.

On February 13, Lizzo posted the cover of Special on her Instagram. In the post's caption, she talked about the album's significance. The singer spoke about wanting her fans to understand that they are acceptable, even if broken. She wrote,

"It’s the end of a very Special era. This album was my strut back into society after a hard 2020 & 2021. I wanted to help people turn up the music, turn down the lights and get a feeling they’ll be alright. I wanted to remind people of how they may be broken but still perfect in their own way."

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Although the singer did not reveal the title of her next album, she showed a teaser on her Twitch stream. In the teaser, Lizzo revealed her next announcement will be on February 28.