Ariana Grande is no stranger to appealing to the toxic fandom. In her years as a world-class pop diva, the “thanks, next” singer had to protect herself from bitches, rumors that she was hard to work with, and even accusations that she milked her ex-partner Mac. Miller’s death for attention. Now Grande is urging social media users to stop commenting on her body after intense online speculation that she has an eating disorder.
“I think we should be kinder and less comfortable when commenting on people’s bodies no matter what,” the 29-year-old said in a TikTok post on 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 shouldn’t say it. We really have to work hard not to do this too much.
In the three-minute video, which has now been viewed more than 55 million times, the singer and actress gently reminded fans that they “never know what someone is going through.” She also dispelled the notion that she was “healthier” in old photos that some people were comparing her to.
“The body you were comparing my current body to was the unhealthiest version of my body,” Grande said. “When I looked the way you guys would consider ‘healthy,’ I was taking and drinking a lot of antidepressants and eating badly and at the bottom of my life. But it wasn’t really my ‘health’.”
The former Nickelodeon star has visibly drawn more from the public while filming her upcoming musical. BadShe played the role of Glinda. However, Grande’s recent Instagram photos and TikTok videos have sparked a host of invasive comments from fans and random viewers, most notably widespread allegations that she may be anorexic.
This conversation was particularly powerful on Reddit, where Grande’s newly posted photos invited the most brazen shots. A specific thread driven by a photo of Grande with her Bad co-star Cynthia Erivo points to a series of comments that have been removed by the site’s monitors due to the “over-invasive health controversy.” Another recent image of Grande, posted on the r/VindicaRateCelebs subreddit, sparked a series of backlash from users stating they were concerned about her weakness and suggesting she was “sick”.
Maybe it’s the fact that fans have seen much less of Grande in the past year, or her dramatic transformation as the bleach-blonde Glinda has made fans put her look under the microscope. Social media also had a big deal recently about the disappearance of her tan, which has become the subject of “catfish” rhetoric about her 2019 album release. thank you next.
However, the comments surrounding Grande’s alleged eating habits are undoubtedly awkward, inappropriate, and insulting to the already over-scrutinized singer. Not to mention that having such an open and reckless discussion of a sensitive topic isn’t very helpful for viewers dealing with their own body image issues.
The Grande rhetoric is just one of many distasteful conversations brewing on the internet about celebrity bodies that have fueled sexist and fat-hating rhetoric for decades. But in the last few months, amid Hollywood’s Ozempic craze, there has been a troubling rise in social media users who openly suspect which actors and musicians suffer from eating disorders, on a not-too-careful tone.
Last month’s Oscar ceremony was a prime example of Twitter users crossing borders by blaming celebrities. Mindy Kaling And Lady Gaga taking diabetes medicine in an almost breast-like fashion. Incorporate Jimmy Kimmel in the opening monologue. made an annoying joke when he said the whole theater full of celebrities was on prescription drugs.
The weight loss discourse has also consumed the Bravo world lately. The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Kyle Richards has publicly defended himself against fans who accused him of using Ozempic every time he posted a selfie. Real Housewives of New Jersey star Dolores Catania was similarly criticized after she admitted to using drugs.
The ultimate purpose of diagnosing celebrities with body image issues is still unclear, but the tone of many comments is far more accusatory and smug than genuinely concerned with one’s health. In an article on the fear of obesity that permeated this year’s Oscars, news feed reporter Kelsey Weekman associates social media’s perception of “taking the easy way out” with “the anger and ridicule of rich celebrities who choose to slim down”. Ironically, stars like Adele and Khloe Kardashian, who owe their weight loss to intense exercise regimens, have also been criticized for sticking to traditional beauty standards.
It seems like celebrities, especially women, can’t win over how their bodies are constantly researched. And in Grande’s case, it didn’t even take some kind of public weight-loss journey or self-acceptance of her body for people to start psychoanalyzing her. Admittedly, it’s easier to empathize with the people we see in our lives, as opposed to celebrities that we only interact with through a screen. Yet, despite Grande’s wealth and privilege as someone with a socially accepted body, this public rhetoric does no one any good.