Ariana Grande has had enough of people making comments about her body amidst the Wicked press run and, well, her whole adult life as a celebrity in the public eye.
During an interview with French journalist Sally, Ariana appeared to hold back tears after being asked how she coped with the immense pressures put on women to always look perfect.
“My goodness… I’m not gonna [cry],” Ariana responds as her co-star Cynthia Erivo comforts her.
“I’ve been kind of doing this in front of the public and kind of been a specimen in a petri dish really 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. But that’s everything from — even just the simplest thing — your appearance, you know?”
Ariana admitted that she finds it really hard to protect herself from the chatter surrounding her appearance.
“I think that 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?’. That is something that is uncomfortable and horrible no matter where its happening or the scale it’s happening on,” she explained.
“I think 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 people have commenting on that that I think is really dangerous.
“I think it’s dangerous for all parties involved,” the 31-year-old emphasised.
Grande shared that while she has a wonderful support system that keeps her afloat within her body image struggles, she does know how suffocating it can feel.
“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,” she said.
“It’s not welcome. I have work to do. I have a life to live. I have friends to love on. I have so much love and it’s not invited so I don’t leave space for it anymore.
“However you can, protect yourself from that noise, whether it’s a family reunion online and you need to block people or delete the app entirely, you keep yourself safe because no one has the right to say shit,” she said powerfully, joking “could you tell I needed that today?”
You can watch the beautiful moment in the interview below.
The question comes after Grande and Erivo found themselves — specifically their bodies and weight — at the centre of an online debate. From fans worrying that they were too thin, to others questioning whether this conversation was even appropriate to begin with, there’s no denying that the two talented performers’ bodies have been absolutely dissected and discussed by onlookers.
As explained by Ariana, this is something that she, along with most women in the public eye, have had to deal with for their entire careers. As a woman in my 20s, I already find it incredibly hard to cope with the societal pressures of modern beauty standards.
I can’t even imagine how deafening and imposing the pressure of constant discussion around your body must be on such a huge scale like Ariana’s experiences.
Ultimately, take this as a reminder that no matter what your intentions are, having public discussions around celebrity bodies doesn’t really help anyone. It just continues the vacuous cycle of imposing beauty standards that we’ve had to stomach for decades.
The post Ariana Grande Tearfully Addresses Comments About Her Body: ‘No One Has The Right To Say Shit’ appeared first on PEDESTRIAN.TV .
