Ariana Grande got emotional as she reflected on the pressure of looking perfect in the public eye while sitting down with Cynthia Erivo, hosted by French content creator Crazy Sally.
“I’ve been doing this in public and have really been a petri dish specimen since I was 16 or 17,” the Wicked star, 31, said after calming herself down. “I have heard it all. I’ve heard every version of it. You are young and hearing all kinds of things.”
“It’s something that’s uncomfortable no matter what scale you’re experiencing it on, even if you go to Thanksgiving dinner and someone’s grandmother says ‘Oh my God, you look thinner, what happened?’ Or ‘You feel heavy, what’s wrong?'” she said.
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Ariana Grande raised her voice, ‘No one has the right to say’
The singer and actress condemned society’s ease in sharing unsolicited opinions about others’ appearance, calling it “dangerous for all parties involved.”
“I’m really lucky that I have a support system and I know and believe that I’m beautiful. But I know what the pressure of that noise feels like,” she said.
“It has been living in my life since I was 17 years old. I don’t invite it in anymore. I have work to do, I have a life to live, I have friends to love. I love too much. It’s not inviting, so I don’t leave room for it anymore.”
Grande also encouraged others to prioritize their own well-being. “You keep yourself safe because no one has the right to say shit,” the Swindle star said.
Cynthia Erivo, who spoke about her experience as an “alternative and different” black woman in the same interview, expressed pride in Grande’s outspokenness.
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Grande, in April 2023, posted a three-minute TikTok video denouncing comments about her appearance, detailing how her supposedly “healthy” body actually was at a time of deep personal struggle.
“There are many different ways to look healthy and beautiful. And personally, for me, the body that you’re comparing my current body to was the most unhealthy version of my body,” Grande said in the video.
