She’s given fans an important reminder.
Ariana Grande returned with another epic musical acting display in Wicked: For Good, but despite her powerful performance, she has once again found herself the focus of ‘uncomfortable’ comments from fans about her appearance.
The 32-year-old, who recently announced her ‘retirement’ from performing music after her next tour so she could focus on acting, has been in the media limelight since she was just a teenager.
Ariana Grande posted a reminder on social media about the dangers of making unsolicited comments about other people’s bodies.
The Grammy winner reshared clips from a 2024 interview in which she said she has “heard it all” about her appearance.
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The Grammy winner, 32, posted several clips on her Instagram Stories from a 2024 interview in which she explained how she deals with unsolicited commentary about her appearance. She included the words “Friendly Reminder” in a text overlay on one of the clips.
“I’ve been doing this in front of the public, and been a specimen in a petri-dish since I was 16 or 17.”
“So, I have heard it all. 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 — from what you’re wearing, to your body, to your face, to your everything” – she added.”
“It’s hard to protect yourself from that noise, and it’s uncomfortable no matter what scale you’re experiencing it on. Even if you’re going to Thanksgiving dinner and someone’s granny says, ‘Oh my God, you look skinny, what happened?’ Or ‘You look heavy, what happened?'”
“In today’s society, there is a comfortability that we shouldn’t have at all – commenting on others’ looks, appearance, what they think is going on behind the scenes, or health or how they present themselves, from what you’re wearing to your body, to your face, to your everything. There’s a comfortability that I think is really dangerous.”
The Wicked: For Good star went on to say that she feels as though commenting on other people’s bodies is normalized in our culture, despite the fact that it can cause real harm.
She continued, “There’s a comfortability that we shouldn’t have at all — commenting on other’s looks, [their] appearance, what [we] think is going on behind the scenes or [their] health … It’s like, that is something that is uncomfortable and horrible, no matter where it’s happening, no matter the scale that it’s happening on.”
Women in Hollywood have sadly always had their bodies examined and judged by the public and the media and Grande suggests that it can be very dangerous, especially if someone is already struggling with their body.
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Later in the interview, the “thank u next” singer said she thinks the phenomenon is “dangerous,” while also noting that she feels “lucky” to have a strong support system behind her throughout it all.
“I think that I’m really lucky to have the support system that I have, and to just know and trust that I’m beautiful, you know?” Grande said. “But I do know what the pressure of that noise feels like. It’s been a resident in my life since I was 17. And I just don’t invite it in anymore. It’s not welcome … I just don’t invite it in anymore … I have work to do. I have a life to live. I have friends to love on. I have so much love.”
She concluded her comments by encouraging others to “protect” themselves from the “noise” in their own lives whenever possible.
