Ariana Grande dropped a “loving reminder” for fans amid renewed scrutiny about her body following the “Wicked: For Good” press tour.
On Saturday, the pop star addressed the growing body shaming comments — which ramped up again on social media amid the release of the “Wicked” sequel — on Instagram by resharing a 2024 interview where she candidly discussed how the remarks have impacted her.
“Resharing this from last year as a loving reminder to all,” Grande wrote alongside the video footage.
In the clip, Grande noted how she’s been in the public eye since she was just a teen, referring to herself as “a specimen in a petri dish.”
“So I have heard it all. I’ve heard every version of it, of what’s wrong with me,” she continued. “And then you fix it, and then it’s wrong for different reasons … It’s hard to protect yourself from that noise.”
That kind of attention is “uncomfortable no matter what scale you’re experiencing it on,” she added, before noting it can be just as difficult to contend with body scrutiny at Thanksgiving dinner as it can be on the red carpet.
“It’s like that is something that is uncomfortable and horrible no matter where it’s happening, no matter the scale it’s happening on. And I think in today’s society there’s a comfortability … that we shouldn’t have at all,” she continued, “Commenting on others’ looks, appearance, what they think is going on behind the scenes or health or how they present themselves, you know, from what you’re wearing to your body, to your face, to your everything. There’s a comfortability that people have commenting on that I think is really dangerous, and I think it’s dangerous for all parties involved.”
In the 2024 clip, Grande also praised her support system for helping her remember “and trust that I’m beautiful.”
“I do know what the pressure of that noise feels like. It’s been a resident in my life since I was 17,” Grande added. “And I just don’t invite it in anymore. 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.”
Though the intense degree of speculation about her body — as well as speculation about the bodies of co-stars Cynthia Erivo and Michelle Yeoh — has dogged the “Wicked” press tour, there has still been plenty to celebrate.
After the second film enjoyed the biggest opening weekend for a Broadway adaptation in box office history, Grande wrote a moving letter thanking fans for their support.
“I fell in love with ‘Wicked’ when I was 10 years old. It has been an escape and a place where I knew I could find comfort and understanding throughout my childhood and adult life. Loving something dearly and becoming it are two very different things,” she wrote.
She continued: “Becoming your Glinda the Good and being asked to join this most wonderful group of human beings on a most creatively and emotionally fulfilling journey was the greatest gift of my life.”
Yet, Grande added that seeing how the movies have “moved” fans “has been the most meaningful, moving and cherished gift of all.”
