Ariana Grande’s break from the spotlight sparks fresh debate over body commentary
In the music video for her new song, “petal,” Ariana Grande takes a chain saw to a table of male casting directors who criticize her character’s appearance and deem her “not good enough.”
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It’s a scene that would normally spark plenty of discussion online, but rather than lead to analysis of Grande’s message, the video ended up re-igniting a yearslong discussion about her appearance.
While she has publicly assured her fans that she is in good health, speculation centering on recent photos and videos in which she appeared emaciated has only grown online and in the celebrity media.
On Sunday, a representative announced that Grande would be taking a step back from public life after she finished her “Eternal Sunshine” tour, which wraps next month. Grande also pulled out of her role co-starring in a London revival of Stephen Sondheim’s “Sunday in the Park With George,” which is set to open next summer.
“If we comment on her body, we could harm her mental health, which would be awful, and nobody wants that,” actor Jameela Jamil, who often uses her platform to change the discussion around body image, wrote in her Instagram Story. “If we don’t comment on her body, we run the risk of normalising that image to hundreds of millions of teenage girls, kids and even impressionable adults.”
Ariana Grande to step back from public life after tour ends
Jamil’s post was one of thousands shared across Reddit, TikTok, Threads and X. Some fans discussed Grande’s new album and shared their favorite tracks. Many, however, seemed unable to look past her appearance.
“She needs help,” a Reddit user wrote, a sentiment that others echoed in various spaces online.
The conversation surrounding Grande reflects a broader conversation that has played out online for years: whether public speculation about a celebrity’s apparent health is an act of concern or simply another form of body scrutiny. As weight loss drugs have shifted societal beauty standards, celebrities have continued to serve as flash points for larger anxieties around health.
Jessica Maddox, an associate professor of media studies at the University of Georgia who studies fandoms online, said she thinks “there is a lot of legitimate concern” for Grande amid the speculation.
“I think all of us hope she does get the help she needs, whatever that is and whatever that looks like,” she said. “But I think maybe the best way we can also help is maybe engaging less. She has a team of people — family and friends — she doesn’t need the internet to tell her what to do.”
Grande has yet to address the announcement. She posted about her upcoming Chicago shows in an Instagram Story on Monday, saying she “cannot wait to be with” her fans.
Clips of the tour have circulated on TikTok since it began in June in Oakland, California. But fan praise has often been overshadowed by comparisons to Grande’s past. Some have commented that her choreography appears to be dialed back from past tours.
A source close to Grande pushed back on the speculation surrounding her health, telling NBC News that she “performs a very physical show and there is a lot of athleticism involved. She performs healthily and successfully at a very high level night after night.”
Grande has previously shut down critics for their attention to her body. In a TikTok video posted in 2023, she asked fans to be more mindful when they speak about other people’s bodies.
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“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 said. “[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 continued by saying that “healthy can look different” on different people and that “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,” she said. “Be gentle with each other and with yourselves.”
In 2024, she shared a similar message when she was asked about the “Wicked” body discourse in an interview. In society, “there’s a comfortability that we shouldn’t have, at all,” she said, including commenting on how other people look, calling it “dangerous for all parties involved.”
The “petal” music video appears to be Grande’s latest attempt to respond to discussions of her weight. In it, a casting exec scribbles the feedback “couldn’t hurt to lose a few LBS” after Grande auditions.
The internet has long been both a safe space and a toxic forum for people who have grappled with their body images, with many turning to blogging sites like Tumblr for community.
But, Maddox said, there is a “harmful history of pro-anorexia and eating disorder content” online. That, combined with the passion of online fandoms, has made it hard for celebrities to navigate their own images.
Fans’ heightened scrutiny of Grande also comes amid a broader shift in the way people talk about bodies online, Maddox said.
“We are in an era where GLP-1s are everywhere — on TV, on social media, in ads,” she said. “So I think pop stars are becoming repositories for bigger social anxieties. That can be a lot for them to take on. Nobody signs up for that level of fame.”
Grande’s tour is set to conclude in London on Sept. 1. She is next scheduled to appear in the film “Focker-in-Law” alongside Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro, which is scheduled for a Nov. 25 theatrical release.
Maddox said that in the meantime, she hopes people online go back to “the age-old rule of avoiding commenting on people’s bodies.”
“Ariana Grande is getting the help she needs by retreating from public life, so I think the discourse can stop now,” she said. “There is nothing to be added to the conversation anymore.”
If you are struggling with an eating disorder and are in need of support, please call the National Eating Disorders Association Helpline at 1-800-931-2237. For a 24-hour crisis line, text “NEDA” to 741741.
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