Since Wicked started shooting, countless fans have made comments on Ariana Grande’s body. And with Wicked: For Good finally out in theaters, the 32-year-old star has finally stood up for herself.
On November 29, Ariana Grande slammed ‘dangerous’ body-shaming comments by sharing an old interview on her Instagram story. The clip is from December 2024 and was an interview with co-star Cynthia Erivo.
Grande called it a “loving reminder to all.” The clip showed journalist Salima Jeanne Poumbga, known professionally as Sally, who asked Grande how she copes with societal beauty standards and critics.
The singer addressed the comments she’s been receiving about her appearance and defended herself, saying that she’d been part of the discourse since she was a teenager in the public eye.
When she reposted the video on Saturday, Grande captioned it with: “re-sharing this from last year as a loving reminder to all. I always love and appreciate our talks so much @sally !!!”
In the full clip, the interviewer pointed out that Glinda, Grande’s character in Wicked, relies on beauty standards both for herself and to please others. When directed towards Grande and her personal opinion, the actress responded by saying, “I’ve been kind of doing this in front of the public and a specimen in a petri dish really since I was 16 or 17.”
“I have heard it all. I’ve heard every version of it, of what’s wrong with me. And then you fix it, and then it’s wrong for different reasons,” Grande continued.
The Wicked: For Good star said that she would often be picked apart for “even just the simplest thing,” including her appearance. “It’s hard to protect yourself from that noise.”
Regarding the amount of criticism she’s received during her time in these movies, she said that it is “something that is uncomfortable no matter what scale you’re experiencing it on.”
Grande continued in the interview, saying, “There are many different ways to look healthy and beautiful. And personally, for me, the body that you’ve been comparing my current body to was the unhealthiest version of my body.”
“I was on a lot of antidepressants, drinking on them, and eating poorly, and at the lowest points of my life when I looked the way you consider ‘my healthy,’ but that, in fact, wasn’t my healthy,” she said.
Transformations, especially with weight, can be very serious. But it’s important not to judge others for their journey.
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