Ariana Grande’s appearance unfortunately became a topic of discussion after the star recently stepped out for a rare outing with her “Wicked” costar Cynthia Erivo in London. Days later, the singer shared a vulnerable TikTok on April 11 addressing some of speculation surrounding her body. “I just wanted to address your concerns about my body and talk a little bit about what it means to be a person with a body and to be seen and to be paid such close attention to,” she said.
“I think we should be gentler and less comfortable commenting on people’s bodies, no matter what,” Grande said as a general note for everyone watching. She went on to explain that even well-intentioned comments have the potential to cause harm, and there are plenty of other ways to express kindness that don’t have anything to do with commenting on someone’s physical appearance. “We should really work towards not doing that as much.”
“There are many different ways to look healthy and beautiful.”
Moving on towards the more specific comments made about her appearance, Grande reminded viewers that it’s impossible to know what someone is going through just by looking at them. “There are many different ways to look healthy and beautiful,” she said. “I know personally, for me, 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, and at the lowest point of my life when I looked the way you consider my healthy,” she added. “But that, in fact, wasn’t my healthy.”
While this is something she shouldn’t have to explain, Grande said she hopes some good can come from her vulnerability. “That’s the first thing: healthy can look different,” she listed as one of her final three takeaways. “The second thing is: 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.”
On a lighter note, Grande’s final message was all about self-love. “I guess I just wanted to extend some love your way and tell you that you’re beautiful, no matter what phase you’re in,” she said. “No matter what you’re going through, no matter what weight, how you like to do your makeup these days, no matter what cosmetic procedures you’ve had or not, or anything.”
“I just think you’re beautiful and wanted to share some feelings.”
