Ariana Grande is sharing a "heartfelt reminder" on the perils of commenting on others' bodies. On Saturday, November 29, the 32-year-old Grammy winner posted several clips from a 2024 interview on her Instagram Stories, where she eloquently expressed how she deals with unsolicited commentary about her appearance. She added the words "Friendly Reminder" as a text overlay on one of the clips.
"I've been a specimen in a Petri dish, really, since I was 16 or 17," Grande began in the footage, her voice tinged with emotion. "So I have heard it all. Every version of what's wrong with me, and then you fix it, and it's wrong for different reasons—from what you're wearing, to your body, to your face, to everything."
The Wicked: For Good star went on to express her belief that commenting on others' bodies is normalized in our culture, despite its ability to cause real harm. "There's a comfortability that we shouldn't have at all—commenting on others' looks, their appearance, what we think is going on behind the scenes or their health... It's like something that is uncomfortable and horrible, no matter where it's happening, no matter the scale."
Later in the interview, the "thank u next" singer described the phenomenon as "dangerous," while also noting that she feels "lucky" to have a strong support system behind her throughout it all. "I think I'm really lucky to have the support system that I have, and to just know and trust that I'm beautiful," Grande 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. And I just don't invite it in anymore. It's not welcome... I just don't invite it in anymore... I have work to do. I have a life to live. I have friends to love on. I have so much love."
She concluded her comments by urging others to "protect" themselves from the "noise" in their own lives whenever possible.
This isn't the first time Grande has addressed unwanted comments about her body. In April 2023, she posted a rare three-minute confessional on TikTok, where she addressed comments about her body. "There are many different ways to look healthy and beautiful," she said. "And personally, for me, 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 and 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 continued, "The second thing is you never know what someone is going through, so even if you're coming from a loving place or a caring place, that person probably is working on it or has a support system that they're working on it with. You never know, so be gentle with each other and yourselves."
