*Please be advised that this article largely discusses body image and eating disorders*
Yes, Ariana Grande looks unhealthy. But are we discussing her in a healthy way to begin with?
I don’t disagree with the sentiment; Grande is notably the unhealthiest she has ever looked in her career. And there is a conversation to be had with the return of “heroin chic,” but I’d like to challenge people to speak differently about those who suffer.
If you’ve ever met me in person, you’d know that I am the biggest Ariana Grande fan there is. I have been following her music for more than 10 years now, and her best album is “Sweetener” undoubtedly. But the conversation I’m seeing surrounding her is unlike it’s ever been before.
Grande is someone who, whether you realize it or not, has been subjected to public scrutiny throughout her career. Most pop stars are, but the case with Grande is starting to seem incomparable. She first made headlines in 2014 for rumors of “diva behavior” following the doughnut-licking scandal and has also been called out for the overuse of self-tanning, which she abandoned in 2023 during the filming of Wicked for her role as Glinda.
None of that criticism is invalid or particularly unusual in the realm of pop culture controversies. Things do take a turn, however, in 2017 when her concert was bombed in Manchester, and young fans were brutally murdered. The following year, her former boyfriend and Pittsburgh icon, Mac Miller, passed away from an overdose that she somehow became responsible for through the lens of the media.
Not even one year after his death, the singer was visibly emotional singing “thank u, next” during her tour stop in Pittsburgh (my first concert, mind you). I remember seeing her and thinking she was such a strong, grown woman. Looking back, Grande was only 24 years old when this happened.
Let that sink in. That is not much older than I am now.
Over the summer, we’ve watched Grande embark on her first world tour in seven years, sparking widespread discussion of her appearance on stage. People speculated that she physically wouldn’t be able to finish the tour (which she did), and some even started predicting the singer’s death.
If we are observing someone who may be struggling with their health, why should that ever be the conversation?
There were even image comparisons to YouTube star Eugenia Cooney, who is largely known for making content that almost glorifies having an eating disorder. Grande has also been accused of this, but if either of these public figures is struggling with an illness, how can we expect them to take responsibility for how they present themselves to the public?
As a fan of Grande, I can separate her appearance from the genuinely great music and artistry she brings to the pop industry. Her album, “Petal,” was released this summer and is largely about her experience in the public eye. Her eventual decision to step away and drop out of future projects was reported only a few months ago.
On “freak” from “Petal,” Grande sings about the life she feels denied of.
People are reducing Grande to her body while she is actively making art about how it feels to be reduced to a public spectacle. Her work is telling us about what it’s like to be watched, and our response is to watch her more closely.
Social media influencers and journalists have labeled this subject as “the conversation we aren’t supposed to have,” after Grande herself declared “Don’t comment on my body, do not reply” in her lead single “yes, and?” from her album “Eternal Sunshine,” released in 2024.
But there is a way to have this conversation responsibly, and it should be led with empathy. If you saw a friend struggling with their body image, you probably wouldn’t love them any less. You’d approach them with concern, without inviting people to analyze them further.
Regardless of status or net worth, people suffer. We have seen countless celebrities suffer under the weight of public scrutiny. And the toxic conversation surrounding them in the media won’t save their lives.
