Ariana Grande has had enough of body comments, but 'scrutiny' will linger

Three years ago, Ariana Grande made a plea for people not to comment about her body. Responding in a TikTok video to comments about her weight and figure, the pop star and actress told fans there were “many different ways to look healthy and beautiful”. Three years on, and the social media speculation about her body and her health has continued.

After “endless, ongoing public scrutiny”, the star’s spokesperson released a statement saying she “will be taking a step back from visibility” at the end of her current tour. “She looks forward to finishing the tour and ending it on a high note, both healthily and happily,” the statement stressed, “and then taking a much-deserved break from public-facing work and appearances, which has led to endless, ongoing public scrutiny.” Grande released the video for her new single Petal on Friday It follows the release of her eighth studio album Petal and the graphic video for its title track on Friday. The song refers to the pressures of fame, and the video shows Grande as a starlet who tries out for a group of talent scouts, dressing as a variety of different pop star personas.

The men initially inform her that it “couldn’t hurt” to lose some weight, among other things, before they tell the final persona that they miss “the way you used to be”. She then murders them all with a chainsaw. “I wrote [this album] from a place that I don’t usually, which was like an unfiltered rage,” she has said.

Whatever the message, the appearance is the thing that has attracted the most attention, and with many on social media saying the scrutiny comes from genuine concern. The comments and screengrabs flooded social media over the weekend. ‘Specimen in a petri dish’ The top comment under the Petal video on YouTube said: “It’s not about wanting the old Ariana back.

It’s about wanting her to be healthy.” One fan wrote on X that she “has become so thin that people are genuinely concerned”. Her loyal fans sent their support, making #Weloveyouariana trend on social media. Some criticised those who were focusing on her body.

“No-one has the right to comment on anyone else’s body or appearance,” a user wrote. Music journalist Sophie Williams told BBC Radio 5 Live that the “constant commentary around her has really, really elevated over the weekend as she’s been promoting new music”. “So we’re led to think in part that t…