For quite some time now, the internet has seemingly been 'concerned' about Ariana Grande's health and well-being throughout the press tour for both Wicked and the newly-released sequel, Wicked: For Good.
The 32-year-old singer-actress has since addressed such concerns directly, taking to social media over the weekend to issue a message in response to the unsolicited commentary on the way she looks.
On Saturday (29 November), Grande shared several clips from a 2024 interview that touched on the fan speculation surrounding her weight, with the overlay text reading: "Resharing this from last year as a loving reminder to all."
The 2024 interview in question saw Sally, a French influencer and journalist, gently ask Grande how she coped with the criticism of her appearance while her co-star, Cynthia Erivo, sat beside her.
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The 'Thank U, Next' hit-maker replied: "I've been doing this in front of the public and 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.
"You're young and you're hearing all kinds of things. 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?'"
Grande said that the comments are 'uncomfortable and horrible' regardless of where they're coming from.
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She continued: "In today's society, there's a comfortability that we shouldn't have, at all. Commenting on others' looks, appearance, what they think is going on behind the scenes... there's a comfortability that people have commenting on that, that I think is really dangerous."
Grande then added: "I'm really lucky to have the support system that I have and to just know and trust that I'm beautiful. 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."
She concluded: "I have work to do, I have a life to live, I have friends to love on. I have so much love. It's not invited, so I don't leave space for it anymore. You keep yourself safe because no one has the right to say s**t."
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The star previously addressed 'concerns' about her appearance in 2023, saying in a TikTok video: "I just wanted to address your concerns about my body and talk a little bit about what it means to a person with a body and to be seen and to be paid this close attention to.
"I think we should be gentler and less comfortable commenting on people’s bodies, no matter what."
Grande later noted: "There are ways to compliment someone or to ignore something that you see that you don’t like that I think we should help each other work towards."
Wicked: For Good is currently available to watch in selected cinemas.
Topics: Ariana Grande, Celebrity, Health, Social Media, Wicked, TV And Film, Instagram
Rhiannon Ingle