Meghan Trainor faces backlash for changing 'All About That Bass' lyric amid weight loss transformation: 'I miss when you didn't look exactly like everyone else'
Meghan Trainor is facing backlash after changing a beloved lyric.
At iHeartRadio's KIIS-FM Wango Tango in Huntington Beach, Calif., on Saturday, Trainor performed a series of tracks, including her 2014 breakthrough single, 'All About That Bass,' in which she sings about embracing her own body, while encouraging others to do the same.
A 29-second video posted by the official 102.7 KIIS FM TikTok account shows Trainor performing the famed track, which hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2014. As the first verse kicks in, Trainor, in a hot pink, rhinestone-encrusted two-piece, sings, 'Yeah, it's pretty clear, I got some new boobs/But I can shake it, shake it, like I'm supposed to do.' The original lyric, 'Yeah it's pretty clear, I ain't no size two,' was apparently swapped out to reflect recent changes to Trainor's body, including a breast augmentation as well as substantial weight loss — and some fans appear to be disappointed by this decision.
On Trainor's Instagram post celebrating her Wango Tango performance, one fan wrote, 'You're stunning, but I miss when you didn't look exactly like everyone else in Hollywood and you were about the bass.' Another said, 'Beautiful but I really loved when you represented girls who can't look like every other basic model.'
Referencing the song's wordplay in the chorus — 'Because you know I'm all about that bass/'Bout that bass, no treble' — one person declared that they were unfollowing Trainor as a result of the lyric change, commenting, 'No bass, all treble. Unfollowed.'
Since its release, 'All About That Bass' has been the subject of scrutiny, with some critics praising the track's overarching message as being uplifting — and others believing it offers an unfair critique of people's bodies. Trainor, aware of the criticism, previously said that she never intended to body shame smaller women.
'Even with some of the 'hate' comments I've seen, they've gotten the conversation going,' the singer told Billboard in 2014. 'But, I'm not bashing skinny girls. Some girls have commented, 'I'm a size zero, so you must hate me.' But that's not it at all! There have been battles on my YouTube page, like, 'You don't know what she's talking about. She's actually saying, 'I know even you skinny girls struggle.' And that's exactly how I feel.'
Trainor, who cowrote the track with songwriter Kevin Kadish, has also said that the song's message is just as much for her as it is for other women who struggle to love their own bodies.
'I wrote it for me, as well, because I've struggled with [body image] since I was very young,' she said in the 2014 interview. 'So, if other girls can relate to the song, it makes me feel even better. It's unreal that I'm kind of helping people.'
The 'Whoops' singer embarked on her weight loss journey in 2021, after giving birth to her first son, Riley, whom she shares with her husband, Spy Kids star Daryl Sabara. Trainor told Entertainment Tonight Canada in 2022 that she was in 'a really dark place' due to being the heaviest she's ever been, which prompted her to lose 60 pounds 'the healthy way.' Coupled with working out daily with her personal trainer, Rebecca Stanton, the mom of two said she adopted healthy food habits and learned how to exercise portion control.
In an Instagram post from March, Trainor reflected on the 'disheartening' comments she's received about her changing body. 'This is what it's like to be a woman in the music industry,' she wrote, before revealing that she's also using a GLP-1 medication.
'No, I don't look like I did 10 years ago,' she wrote. 'I've been on a journey to be the healthiest, strongest version of myself for my kids and for me. I've worked with a dietician, made huge lifestyle changes, started exercising with a trainer, and yes, I used science and support (shoutout to Mounjaro!) to help me after my second pregnancy.'
Added Trainor, 'And I'm so glad I did because I feel great.'
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