Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo and the truth about fans’ concerns

“Wicked” is a story about empowerment, friendship and not judging people based on how they look.
That’s why it’s especially notable that the film’s stars − Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo − have received a spate of comments on social media from fans making assumptions about their health based on their appearances.
Fans have speculated the stars of the film look especially skinny, commenting things like: “Honestly both (Erivo) and Ariana look extremely unwell.” Others have come to their defense. “This is more damaging than a lot of people … realize,” one X user wrote about the discourse. “I’m basically as skinny as Ariana, does that make me anorexic too?”
Grande and Erivo are far from the only celebrities who’ve received these kinds of comments in recent years. In October 2021, Adele told Vogue she was “disappointed” over the “brutal conversations” about her weight loss, and, that same month, Jonah Hill urged his Instagram followers to refrain from commenting on his body after his weight loss.
Experts agree even well-intentioned comments on someone’s looks can do more harm than good − and they need to stop.
Grande previously spoke out about fans’ concerns over her body in a TikTok in April 2023, saying that “there are many different ways to look healthy and beautiful” and that her previous physical appearance was “the unhealthiest version of my body.”
“I was on a lot of antidepressants and drinking on them and eating poorly and at the lowest point of my life when I looked the way you consider my healthy,” she said. “But that in fact wasn’t my healthy.”
Bebe Rexha calls out ‘upsetting’ TikTok:Body comments need to stop, experts say.
Grande reminded her followers that “you never know what someone is going through” and to refrain from commenting on other people’s bodies.
“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,” Grande said. “So, be gentle with each other and with yourselves.”
Dr. Elizabeth Wassenaar, regional medical director at the Eating Recovery Center, previously told USA TODAY that commenting on someone’s weight reinforces the belief that someone’s appearance is the most important thing about them.
“These comments about how your body is acceptable or unacceptable, it reinforces again that you are not worth more than your body… and that you have to present yourself a certain way for the world to find you acceptable,” she said. “It just reinforces that sort of superficial, body-focused idea that we know is so painful and harmful for every single one of us, because we are so much more than this vessel that carries us.”
Wassenaar added that comments about someone’s body don’t just impact that person. They impact “every single person that lives in a body.”
Another problem with commenting on someone’s looks, like Grande noted, is you don’t know their situation, Chelsea Kronengold, communications lead at the National Eating Disorders Association, previously told USA TODAY. The Mayo Clinic lists myriad potential causes for weight loss, including mental health challenges like disordered eating as well as physical illnesses.
“Commenting on people’s bodies and weights is completely inappropriate – you don’t even know the intention behind it and what else is going on,” she said.
These comments can also be skinny- or fat-shaming, both of which, experts say, can lead to mental health issues like lower self-esteem.
Alexis Conason, a clinical psychologist and author of “The Diet-Free Revolution,” previously told USA TODAY that anyone can struggle with negative body image, no matter their size. Because of this, she says it’s best to avoid commenting on people’s bodies, no matter if they’re skinny, fat or somewhere in between.
“Your body is no one else’s business, and if someone comments on your body, it’s more a reflection of them,” she said.
If you or someone you know is struggling with body image or eating concerns, the National Eating Disorders Association’s toll-free and confidential helpline is available by phone or text at 1-800-931-2237 or by click-to-chat message at  nationaleatingdisorders.org/helpline. For 24/7 crisis situations, text “NEDA” to 741-741.
Contributing: Edward Segarra, Jenna Ryu and Sara M Moniuszko, USA TODAY