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Lizzo Suggests China-Owned TikTok Censoring Her Bathing Suit Twerking Videos Because She’s Fat

   DailyWire.com
Lizzo attends the Warner Music & CIROC BRIT Awards house party, in association with GQ, at The Chiltern Firehouse on February 18, 2020 in London, England.
David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images for Warner Music

Singer-songwriter and proud “twerk” queen Lizzo, whose full name is Melissa Viviane Jefferson, has suggested China-owned app TikTok is censoring some of her videos because she’s overweight.

“Lizzo has accused TikTok of repeatedly taking down her videos in which she wears bathing suits without holding other women to the same standard,” Insider reported earlier this month.

In a video the singer posted to the app, Lizzo called out the apparent censorship.

“Tiktok keeps taking down my videos with me in my bathing suits but allows other videos with girls in bathing suits,” text from Lizzo appears on the screen, as the 31-year-old mouthed the words “I know” repeatedly.

“I wonder why?” the text continues. “Tiktok… we need to talk.”

Troubling claims of censorship have been repeatedly made against TikTok. In November 2019, former employees of the viral app told The Washington Post that moderators in China “directed them to censor ‘culturally problematic’ videos deemed ‘subversive or controversial’ to the Chinese government,” Business Insider outlined.

“Six ex-TikTok employees told The Washington Post that Chinese workers had the ‘final call’ on what content was blocked or otherwise restricted. Employees in the US said that as recently as this spring, they were told to restrict content showing vaping, ‘heavy kissing and more suggestive dance moves,’ or ‘social and political topics,” the report said, adding, “TikTok, though based in the United States, is owned by Chinese company ByteDance — raising concerns from lawmakers, national security officials, and users alike that the Chinese government exerts some measure of control over the content posted on the platform. The US government is now reportedly investigating ByteDance over national security concerns.”

“They want to be a global company, and numbers-wise, they’ve had that success,” one source told the Post. “But the purse is still in China: The money always comes from there, and the decisions all come from there.”

After Lizzo made the claims of “fat-shaming” censorship, a TikTok spokesperson told The Guardian that some of the singer’s videos were removed because they violated their guidelines.

“A TikTok spokesperson told the Guardian that Lizzo’s videos were not removed because she was wearing a bathing suit,” the report said. “They cited other violations, including ‘sexual gratification’, that lead to a moderator initially banning the videos. The spokesperson specifically cited one video that featured Lizzo lifting up her dress to reveal her undergarments. There was initial confusion over what the garments were. After officials at TikTok spoke to Lizzo’s team, and the undergarments were confirmed to be Spanx, not underwear, the videos were reinstated exactly as they were originally uploaded. ‘We love Lizzo’s creativity,’ the spokesperson said. ‘And the videos were originally removed because of other violations, not a bathing suit.'”

Lizzo made headlines in December when she exposed her buttocks at a Laker’s game and “twerked” for the crowd.

“Who I am and the essence of me and the things that I choose to do as a grown-a** woman can inspire you to do the same,” she responded to criticism over the incident, People magazine reported. “You don’t have to be like me. You need to be like you. And never ever let somebody stop you or shame you from being yourself.”

“Like, this is who I’ve always been,” Lizzo added. “Now everyone’s looking at it and your criticism can just remain your criticism … Negative criticism has no stake in my life, no control over my life, over my emotions. I’m the happiest I’ve ever been, I’m surrounded by love.”

Related: WATCH: Lizzo Responds To Criticism Over Thong Twerking Session At Laker Game: Kiss My A**

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