Ariana Grande: Me and My Truth, We Sit in Silence

Trigger warning: This article discusses eating disorders, terrorist attacks, and drugs, which some readers may find upsetting.

I vividly remember the 22^nd of May 2017. I was 17 years old, on vacation in Italy, and getting ready for the evening. My dad read out breaking news of a suicide bombing at Manchester Arena, after an Ariana Grande concert. Every concert since, as an adult who lives with anxiety, I get incredibly uncomfortable leaving concert venues due to this fear.

But this piece isn’t about me.

It’s about Ariana Grande. On top of the deadly terrorist attack, she experienced the death of an ex-partner and close friend due to a drug overdose. She dealt with the aftermath of a very public engagement breakup. She’s previously spoken about her experience with depression and OCD, and growing up as a child actor, and has called for mandatory therapy for all child stars.

But ever since the 2024/ 2025 Wicked press tours, her appearance has shown a marked weight loss, leading many to wonder whether she's struggling with an eating disorder. Despite growing public concern, she has continued performing, releasing new music, touring, and carrying on as if nothing is wrong. Her appearances throughout the tour were already worrying, but it's her latest music video, "petal," that has left many, myself included, genuinely concerned for her wellbeing.

Ironically, "petal" is about the entertainment industry's obsession with beauty standards, yet its release has only fuelled more of the same.

Stills from the "petal" music video. Source: YouTube

And it begs the real question: why isn't someone stepping in? 

You might say it's not my place to comment; I don't know her personally. But as a researcher in mental health, I know how public figures shape beauty standards for young, impressionable minds. That's why the focus here needs to be on support and recovery from whatever she’s going through.

For weeks now, people have been drawing comparisons between Grande and Karen Carpenter, a singer who died aged 32, due to anorexia nervosa (a serious mental health condition which includes the restriction of food intake, and intense fear of weight gain, leading to significantly low bodyweight).

I would just like to make clear that it is never appropriate to comment on someone’s weight, it is not respectful. Unfortunately, as we've seen for decades, the reality is that when someone is in the public eye, people talk about appearance. And this has a wider impact, as it may contribute to the glamourisation of a particular body type, which is where some concerns arise. As a society, it is important to acknowledge that our collective responsibility to understand that being concerningly underweight does not represent realistic or healthy beauty standards. We have a responsibility to ensure that younger generations do not feel pressured to normalise this. We also have a responsibility to make sure that this is not an ideal that anyone (including celebrities) feel pressured to embody.

During the Wicked press tour, onlookers noticed that it wasn’t just her, but her co-stars Cynthia Erivo, and Michelle Yeoh who also looked different compared to earlier years. A November 2025 article for another magazine said of the press tour, "visuals confront you with hollowed cheeks and protruding bones that weren’t visible before.” And I agree. This week, after much scrutiny, Ariana and her team broke their silence and announced that she “will be taking a step back from visibility,” after her current tour ends. She, in a speech to her fans during a concert, explained that she made the choice “a long time ago” and “from a thoughtful and empowered place”, highlighting that her decision wasn't based on recent events.

Unfortunately, because she is an incredibly famous celebrity who is currently on a world tour where she is being seen by millions (and after an incredibly successful movie franchise), its important to point out that her physique is unhealthy. Regardless of the cause. It’s really hard to watch someone continue to perform on tour when they appear so unwell.

My concern is compounded by the stark statistics surrounding anorexia, which has one of the highest mortality rates of any psychiatric disorder. 

Performing on a global stage, regardless of your health status, is exceptionally hard work. Taylor Swift, showed in her 2025 documentary just how physically, mentally, and emotionally demanding tour life is. The months and years of hard work and prep it takes. And Harry Styles cancelled the first night of the Brazil leg of his tour due to physical health concerns.

Many (and I agree with them) are calling on Grande’s management team to provide her with the adequate support she needs, and to potentially make the call if she is too unwell to perform. But it is also important to remember that we don't know what goes on behind closed doors.

I know there is much public debate on whether people are right or wrong for talking about someone else’s body and life. One side of the argument is that it is her own personal life, her own body, and no one except her, and her loved ones have a say. Unfortunately, because she is an incredibly famous celebrity who is currently on a world tour where she is being seen by millions (and after an incredibly successful movie franchise), its important to point out that her physique is unhealthy. Regardless of the cause. It’s really hard to watch someone continue to perform on tour when they appear so unwell.

In fact, Grande herself urged the public to “think before they speak”, when it came to comments on others’ appearances. She also highlighted how, there was a period when her fans considered her to have looked the healthiest was in fact a time when she was on antidepressants while also drinking and eating poorly, with the message that being healthy can look different, She specifically said, "You never know what someone is going through, so even if you are coming from a loving place and a caring place, that person probably is working on it or has a support system that they are working on it with."

I have been a longtime supporter of Taylor Swift and seen the amount of scrutiny she’s experienced. Relationships, friendships, you name it. I will always say, this is none of our business, and I truly believe it. Even when Selena Gomez came under intense scrutiny for weight gain, which was due to her lupus medication causing water retention. Chadwick Boseman, who lost his battle to cancer a few years ago was under scrutiny for his weight loss.

At the risk of sounding repetitive, it is not our business to know the reasons why someone’s weight fluctuates.

But when a public figure has so visibly and so evidently lost a significant amount of weight, while insistent that they are fine and healthy, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with showing concern. Neither I nor my colleagues who share this view as mental health researchers are coming at this from a place of body-shaming, or just saying "she's too thin, she needs to eat." No. We worry about the impact on beauty standards of spotlighting her on a global stage when she appears so unhealthy, which risks setting an unhealthy standard for young fans watching closely.

My teenage years (and even as a young adult) were spent listening to Ariana Grande’s hits. Before that, as a tween, watching her rise to fame as a Nickelodeon star. Seeing her red hair, classic high ponytail, iconic music videos is the Ariana Grande I remember. She has a song for every occasion.

I do, very sincerely, and very hopefully believe that this step back will be a much-needed time for her to take time away from the limelight. And it’s important that she be given this privacy, away from the public eye. She most definitely does not owe the public access to her personal life. Ultimately, the responsibility lies with her team, to protect her and keep her safe. While we cannot control others' behaviour but we can control our own. We, as viewers do have a personal responsibility to engage or disengage with scenarios that are potentially triggering to us. Of course, in the case of younger audiences, their parents hold a responsibility.

Finally, it comes down to asking what the increasingly narrow beauty ideals might mean for people vulnerable to disordered eating, those recovering from eating disorders, and young people learning what a desirable body is supposed to look like.