Ariana Grande on body shaming comments: 'Uncomfortable and horrible'
Ariana Grande opened up about dealing with body shamers, stressing how negative remarks about one’s appearance can be “dangerous.”
In her joint interview with French content creator Sally, the Wicked star turned emotional when she was asked how she copes with society’s beauty standards.
“I’ve been doing this in front of the public and kind of been a specimen in a petri dish really since I was 16 or 17. I have heard it all. I’ve heard every version of it on what’s wrong with me,” the singer began. “You’re young and you’re hearing all kinds of things.”
The 31-year-old pop star, who first rose to fame with her role as Cat in Nickelodeon’s Victorious, said that it can be hard to protect yourself from such criticisms, whatever setting you may be in.
“It’s hard to protect yourself from that noise. It’s something that is uncomfortable no matter what scale you’re experiencing it on, even if you go to Thanksgiving dinner and someone's granny says, 'Oh my god, you look skinnier. What happened?' or 'You look heavier what happened?'” she continued, adding that such remarks are “uncomfortable and horrible.”
She went on to stress that being comfortable with giving unsolicited comments on someone else’s looks or personal life can be “dangerous for all parties involved."
Over the years of feeling pressured to look a certain way, the thank u, next singer shared that she has learned to dismiss body shaming comments by focusing more on the love and support she's receiving from her loved ones.
“I’m really lucky to have the support system that I have and to just know and trust that I’m beautiful,” she 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. I just don’t invite it in anymore. I have work to do, I have a life to live, I have friends to love. I have so much love,” she continued. “It’s not invited, so I don’t leave space for it anymore.”
She also encouraged others to protect themselves from such “noise,” be at a family reunion or online.
“You keep yourself safe because no one has the right to say s**t,” she said.
This isn’t the first time that Ariana has talked about criticisms about her looks. In April 2023, she addressed concerns about her weight as she assured her fans that she’s “healthy.”
“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 in her previous TikTok video.
“[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 revealed.
In September of the same year, she also admitted how she used to get a “ton of lip fillers and botox” and makeup because she felt the need to “hide.”
“For a long time, beauty was about hiding for me," she said in an episode of Vogue’s “Beauty Secrets.”
“Being exposed to so many voices at a young age and especially when people have things to say about your appearance and stuff, it's really hard to know what's worth hearing or not,” she explained. “But when you're 17, you don't really know you don't know that yet.”
