Ariana Grande is no stranger to dabbling in toxic fandom. In her years as an A-list pop diva, the “Thanks, Next” singer has been forced to defend herself against slut shamers, rumors that she’s difficult to work with, and even accusations that she hated her ex Partner Mac milked to defend Miller’s death for attention. Now, Grande is urging social media users to stop commenting on her body following intense internet speculation that she has an eating disorder.
“I think we should be gentler and less comfortable commenting on people’s bodies no matter what,” the 29-year-old said in a TikTok post Tuesday night. “If you think you’re saying something good or well-intentioned, whatever it is – healthy, unhealthy, big, small, this, that, sexy, not sexy – we just shouldn’t be doing it. We should really work on not doing that so often.”
In the three-minute video, which has now garnered over 55 million views, the singer and actress gently reminded fans that you “never know what someone’s going through.” She also dispelled the notion that she was “healthier” in the old photos some people have compared her to.
“The body you compared my current body to was the most unhealthy version of my body,” Grande explained. “I was on a lot of antidepressants and drinking and eating badly and at the lowest point in my life when I looked what you call ‘healthy’. But that actually wasn’t my ‘healthy’.”
The former Nickelodeon star has become noticeably more withdrawn from the public eye during the filming of her upcoming musical film Wicked, in which she plays the role of Glinda. However, Grande’s recent Instagram photos and TikTok videos have prompted a number of intrusive remarks from fans and casual viewers, most notably widespread claims that she may be anorexic.
This conversation has been particularly robust on Reddit, where newly posted photos of Grande invite the most presumptuous shots. One particular thread, sparked by a photo of Grande with fellow Wicked member Cynthia Erivo, features a series of comments being removed from the site’s monitors for “overly invasive health discussions”. Another recent picture of Grande, posted to the r/VindicaRateCelebs subreddit, prompted a flurry of reactions from users, who expressed concern about her thinness and suggested she was “sick.”
Perhaps it’s the fact that fans have seen a lot less of Grande in the past year, or her dramatic transformation into a bleach blonde Glinda that’s got fans scrutinizing her looks. Social media has also recently created a major uproar over the disappearance of her tan, which became the subject of the “blackfishing” discourse surrounding the release of her 2019 album thank u, next.
Still, the comments about Grande’s alleged eating habits are undoubtedly strange, inappropriate, and offensive to the already overly scrutinized singer. Not to mention that such a candid and lighthearted discussion of a sensitive topic is of little benefit to viewers who may be dealing with their own body image issues.
The Grande discourse is just one of many tasteless talks about celebrity bodies that have been brewing online that have been sparking sexist and fat-phobic discourses for decades. But amid Hollywood’s Ozempic craze in recent months, there has been a worrying surge in social media users who are openly suggesting which actors and musicians suffer from eating disorders, in a less than caring tone.
Last month’s Academy Awards was a prime example of Twitter users pushing boundaries when they flippantly accused celebrities like Mindy Kaling and Lady Gaga of taking the diabetes drug in an almost meme-like way. In his opening monologue, host Jimmy Kimmel even made an awkward joke when he quipped that the entire celeb-filled theater was using the prescription drugs.
The weight loss discourse has also consumed the Bravo world recently as Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Kyle Richards has publicly defended herself against fans who have accused her of using Ozempic every time she posts a selfie . Real Housewives of New Jersey star Dolores Catania has also faced criticism after admitting she uses the drug.
The ultimate goal of diagnosing celebrities with body image issues is still unclear, although the tone of many comments is typically accusatory and smug rather than genuinely concerned about one’s health. In an article about the fat phobia that permeated this year’s Oscars, Buzzfeed reporter Kelsey Weekman linked the “resentment and taunting of rich celebrities who choose to go slimmer” on social media with the perception that “they do.” made it easy for yourself”. Ironically, stars like Adele and Khloe Kardashian, who have credited their weight loss to intense exercise regimes, have also been criticized for clinging to conventional beauty standards.
It seems like celebrities, especially women, can’t win when it comes to the way their bodies are constantly being measured. And in Grande’s case, it didn’t even take some kind of public weight-loss journey or self-approval of her body for people to start psychoanalysis. Granted, it’s easier to practice empathy with the people we see in our lives than with the celebrities we only interact with through a screen. But despite Grande’s wealth – and her privilege as someone with a socially acceptable body – this public discourse benefits no one.
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