The general public is at it again. Ariana Grande posted a TikTok on Tuesday, April 11th addressing the recent rumors and comments that have been made about her body.
@arianagrande ♡
Recent paparazzi photos have led to a flurry of comments on the “Thank U, Next” singers’ physique. Apparently, people are “concerned” over the star’s appearance as she looks to be thinner than she has been before.
What people seem to have trouble taking into account is that Grande’s body is literally the furthest thing from their business.
The video starts with Grande stating, “I don’t do this often, I’m not good at it, I don’t like it, but I just wanted to address your concerns about my body…” *sigh*, it is truly unfortunate that this is a video that needs to be made in 2023.
Grande states that the body people assumed to be her “at her healthiest” was actually one that was extremely unhealthy. “I was on a lot of antidepressants, and drinking on them, and eating poorly, and at the lowest points of my life, when I looked the way you consider “my healthy.” But that, in fact, wasn’t my healthy.”
Perhaps most importantly, Grande reminds us of two key things: Healthy can look different on different people, and you never know what someone is going through, so don’t be an asshole. (Our words, not hers).
Grande certainly isn’t the first celebrity to be body shamed, and unfortunately, she probably won’t be the last either. Stars such as Lizzo and Yellowjackets star Melanie Lynskey have also dealt with very public body shaming, and similarly to Grande, they’ve handled it beautifully, With Lynskey reminding us that skinny does not equal healthy, and Lizzo telling the world that she’s a body icon.
One Twitter user brought up the fact that singer Selena Gomez also recently had to defend her body publicly, stating, “selena gomez and ariana grande shouldn’t have to go on a public platform to explain their weight gain/loss because of abhorrent criticism. its nasty, cruel and unfair especially today.” We couldn’t agree more.
selena gomez and ariana grande shouldn’t have to go on a public platform to explain their weight gain/loss because of abhorrent criticism. its nasty, cruel and unfair especially today. pic.twitter.com/fVaNpmMjvj
— ً (@letsmegetme) April 11, 2023
As Grande also elaborates on in her video, making comments about the shape of a person’s body is really never necessary, even when you think you’re doing so out of a place of kindness. There are ways to compliment someone or to express concern over a loved one’s health without immediately centering changes in their body.
The Wicked-star ends the video by telling us to be gentle with each other and ourselves, and we couldn’t have said it better ourselves. We’re all just trying to survive and be happy on this giant rock floating through space, so let’s not make life harder for people by deciding if their body is “correct” or not.
Top photo: Screen grab from @arianagrande on TikTok
