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We’ve (arguably) come a long way since the 2000s-era coverage of celebrities and their bodies. Still, there seems to be a growing interest in the appearances of, specifically, the women of Hollywood. While it’s not always from a place of criticism—fans often voice genuine concerns over the health of their idols—the line between what should and shouldn’t be discussed with those in the spotlight is grey at best. For those on the receiving end, though, it can feel wildly unfair. One starlet who knows this is Ariana Grande, who has recently garnered attention over her apparent shrinking frame.
As she and co-star Cynthia Erivo, who both come in at just 5’2, embarked on the global Wicked press tour, Grande’s thinner body became a topic of conversation. While the singer never acknowledged the specific comments being hurled at her, she has now addressed the impacts of beauty standards and the scrutiny that follows young women.
In an interview for the film, French reporter Sally asked the 31-year-old how she copes with the “beauty standards” and “overwhelming” pressure women feel to always look perfect—a question that elicited an emotional response.
“My goodness. I’m not gonna–” she said, holding back tears. “Good question.”
As Erivo sat with her and comforted her, the singer went on to talk about growing up famous.
“I’ve been kind of doing this in front of the public and kind of been a specimen in a petri dish, really, since I was 16 or 17, so I have heard it all,” she began. “I’ve heard every version of it—of what’s wrong with me. And then you fix it, and then it’s wrong for different reasons. But that’s everything from—even just the simplest thing—your appearance, you know?”
The former child star explained that it’s “hard to protect yourself from that noise” when “you’re young and you’re hearing all kinds of things.”
“I think that it’s something that is uncomfortable no matter what scale you’re experiencing it on,” she continued. “Even if you go to Thanksgiving dinner, and someone’s granny says, ‘Oh my God, you look skinnier! What happened?’ or ‘You look heavier! What happened?’”
Grande then went on to condemn this kind of discourse.
“I think in today’s society, there is a comfortability that we shouldn’t have at all [with[ commenting on others’ looks, appearance, what they think is going on behind the scenes or health or how they present themselves,” she said. “From what you’re wearing to your body to your face to your everything, there’s a comfortability that people have commenting on that that I think is really dangerous—and I think it’s dangerous for all parties involved.”
As for how she deals with the unwanted attention, Grande explained that she doesn’t “invite it in anymore.”
“It’s not welcome,” she asserted. “I have work to do, I have a life to live, I have friends to love on, I have so much love, and it’s not invited, so I don’t leave space for it anymore… You keep yourself safe because no one has the right to say s–t.”
Fans first started commenting on Grande’s weight loss when she began filming for Wicked last year, spurring her to post a TikTok about the content.
In the clip, she encouraged people to be “gentler and less comfortable commenting on people’s bodies.”
“The body that you’ve been comparing my current body to was the unhealthiest version of my body. I was on a lot of antidepressants and drinking on them and eating poorly,” she insisted. “[I was] at the lowest point of my life when I looked the way you consider my healthy, but that, in fact, wasn’t my healthy.”
She didn’t specifically divulge what was happening in her life, but she noted that even loving fans could get it wrong.
“You never know what someone is going through, so even if you are coming from a loving place and a caring place, that person probably is working on it or has a support system that they are working on it with.”
Watch the full interview with Sally below.
