Ariana Grande is well-loved by many and while her fame has been pretty consistent over the years, her physical appearance has fluctuated. Online body shaming is not a new phenomenon and the celebrity has always avoided responding to hateful remarks or controversial debates.
Ariana Grande (2023)
Photo via marca
Recently, she decided it was time to personally address these remarks in a recent TikTok video and spreading her ‘wokeness’ to us.
Good Health is Not Dependent on Size and Shape
Ariana Grande refuted the notion that her present day body size and shape are indicative of poor health. She said that she is actually in her healthiest state right now. The artist urged followers to challenge preconceived biases surrounding the one-dimensional image of a healthy body.
Photo via @arianagrande on TikTok
“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 (alcohol) while on them… Eating poorly… I was at the lowest point of my life when I looked the way you consider ‘healthy’.”
Ariana was pinpointing a key flaw of netizens. When viewing or following a celebrity, we tend to assume we know more than we do about their lives. And we bring opinion into it.
GIF via Tenor
But why do we scrutinise and compare and judge so quickly? Are we trying to grow closer to our idols? Or are we drawing up ideas in our heads of what we believe to be beautiful and desirable, and expecting them to fit into that mould? Well, it could be due to Confirmation Bias. Our brains have the tendency of choosing the information to reinforce existing beliefs.
All Bodies Are Beautiful
“There are many different kinds of beautiful,” said Ariana Grande.
We could not agree more! Especially when you are beautiful on the inside as well. So why do we still make those comments about different body types?
GIF via Tenor
We all have our views or schema’s about life and that’s OK. However, if we insist on only our view of things, we may end up with a prejudiced view, which is both limiting and inaccurate. One way to avoid being prejudiced is to be open to differing ideas, embrace diversity and practice empathy.
Some people are more sensitive about their weight or size which could lead to a low self-esteem with regard to their appearance. On the other hand, some people could care less about online ‘trolls’. So, tread gently on combustible topics when you are unsure about how someone else feels.
If we practice an open mindset toward celebrities and online personalities, subjective and outdated societal expectations of beauty would have less relevance in the comments section.
Are we Critics, or do we really mean well?
While everyone has a right to their opinions, jumping to conclusions or imposing personal opinions onto someone else may not be well recieved. Ask yourself if your comment starts with “No offense, but”, “Honestly you should not-”, or “If I were you-”. Is there another way you could rephrase your statements to be better received?
Ariana for the Voice 2021 photoshoot
Photo via Mordeo
Ariana introduced a positive ideology: “I think we should be gentler and less comfortable commenting on people’s bodies no matter what. If you think you’re saying something good or well intentioned.”
“There are ways to compliment someone or to ignore something that you see that you don’t like that I think we should work towards.”
You Never Know What People Are Going Through, So Be Gentle
Ariana redirected the malicious messages into a heartwarming learning point. By extending kindness to her haters, she very well may have helped her followers understand her better.
Ariana Grande for her R.E.M chapter 2 shoot
Photo via Reddit
Nobody wants to be a hater. Sometimes, we just don’t stop to think enough about other people. Ariana’s honest sharing shows that you never really know what someone is going through and why they look that way they do.
“So even if you are coming from a loving place, that person probably is working on it or has a support system that they are working on it with. You never know, so be gentle with each other.”
Here’s how you can be gentler like our Woke Queen by understanding why we think the way we do.
