- Ariana Grande broke her silence on the relentless beauty criticism.
- She reflected on the toll public scrutiny has taken.
- She addressed how criticism of appearance is universally harmful.
In an emotional interview with French journalist Salima Poumbga, the Grammy-winning artist reflected on the toll public scrutiny has taken as she promotes her role in Wicked, a performance earning her Oscar buzz for Best Supporting Actress.
“I’ve been kind of doing this in front of the public and kind of been, you know, a specimen in a petri dish, really, since I was 16 or 17,” Grande said, holding back tears. “I’ve heard every version of what’s wrong with me. And then you fix it, and then it’s wrong for different reasons.”
Grande addressed how criticism of appearance, whether public or private, is universally harmful. “Even if you go to Thanksgiving dinner and your granny says, ‘You look skinnier. What happened? You look heavier. What happened?’ That is something that is uncomfortable and horrible no matter where it’s happening and no matter the scale it’s happening on.”
She criticized the normalization of commenting on others’ looks, stating, “There’s a comfortability that we shouldn’t have at all in commenting on others’ looks or health.” Resolute in her stance, she added, “I just don’t invite it in anymore. It’s not welcome.”
Cynthia Erivo, Grande’s Wicked co-star, also condemned online harassment, calling it “quite dangerous.” She emphasized, “What a person who has never met you thinks is never more important than what you think of yourself.”
Grande’s remarks spotlight a wider conversation about societal pressures and personal boundaries.
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