Content warning: Eating disorders and anorexia.
Ariana Grande’s hit tour Eternal Sunshine intends to be a wrap for this pop star’s public-facing work following a planned hiatus after her London show. While reassuring her fans that this hiatus was non-reactive and planned time off, fans can’t help but wonder if this is the doing of social media scrutiny.
Grande has been a well-known public figure since her debut as Cat Valentine in the hit show Victorious. Since then, Grande has gone on to release seven record breaking albums. Many of her fans have recently been outwardly concerned through social media about Grande’s recent health issues, mainly regarding her weight.
While some fans argue that her obvious weight loss might be because Grande is a known vegan and therefore the public’s comments are nothing but harmful slander, many argue that this is a direct result of a declining health issue and should be addressed, seeing as a large portion of her fan base is a younger generation.
Discussing anybody’s health is a difficult and hard to navigate topic. Obvious health issues become complicated when talking about A-list celebrities.
Sophomore speech pathology major Leslie Fuentes has had her concerns about Grande grow since the start of her Eternal Sunshine tour.
“I think the public does have a right to [be concerned],” Fuentes said. “But I don’t think they should cross that [boundary] and try to dictate how the person should look.”
The fine line between straight body-shaming versus general concern when it comes to celebrities like Grande can be very confusing. On one hand, genuine concern can also stem from worry for Grande’s fans themselves and how her body image can be seen as promoting the aesthetic of a severely underweight figure.
On the other hand, the constant hate comments and ridicule that she has been receiving through the media, having forced her to turn off her public comment sections, could be doing more harm than good.
Sophomore health sciences major Noelle Barnhart voiced her opinion on the more aggressive approach some fans seem to be taking.
“You can still voice your opinion,” Barnhart said. “But at the same time, you just need to be respectful.”
While most fans are coming from a place of concern, the constant shaming and hateful comments to Grande herself need to be reigned in.
Unfortunately, the skinny-pandemic has been reaching other A-list celebrities as well. Jenna Ortega and Meghan Trainor are a few among the many that are being put under a spotlight about their recent health decline.
“I’m concerned for their health for sure, I want them to be healthy,” Fuentes said. “Looking back at the pictures of Jenna Ortega and how she looked when she was filming Wednesday until now, it’s concerning mostly because younger girls look up to them.”
I always looked up to Meghan Trainor as a young girl because she represented a curvy figure and helped make girls feel more confident and comfortable in their own bodies. Meghan’s song, “All About that Bass” was the pinnacle of body-confidence and promoted overall health over outward appearance.
Sophomore nursing major Elsie Brown expressed her feelings toward the unhealthy trend.
“I think it’s so horrible that we’re glamorizing this skinny pandemic,” Brown said. “It’s not even skinny, it’s just unhealthy.”
The difference between looking a certain way and being healthy is huge. We should be teaching our youth that if they eat good food and live a healthy lifestyle, what they inherently look like on the outside should have zero negative connotation. Everyone is beautiful and you shouldn’t have to feel like you need to go to extremes to change yourself.