Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo and why the cruel body comments around 'Wicked' need to stop

November 21, 2024

Featuring:
Elizabeth Wassenaar, MS, MD, DFAPA, CEDS-C

With the upcoming release of "Wicked," comments are once again bubbling up about singer and actress Ariana Grande's physical appearance and health. In this USA Today article, Dr. Elizabeth Wassenaar is quoted and shared why commenting on someone's appearance reinforces the belief that one's "appearance is the most important thing about them."

"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.

Read the Full Article