Ariana Grande Slams Body Shamers: "There Are Many Different Kinds of Beautiful"

Ariana Grande posted a candid video on Tik Tok slamming haters about body-shaming and addressing her fans' concerns over her changing appearance. "You have talked a lot about it [my body] over the past decade or longer so I’d like to join in this time. :)” she wrote. According to Elle, Grande urged people to be gentle and also to stop commenting on other people's bodies.

She also revealed that what some fans consider her “healthiest” body was far from it. “I know personally for me, the body that you have been comparing my current body to was the unhealthiest version of my body,” she said. “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' but that, in fact, wasn’t my 'healthy.' And I know I shouldn’t have to explain that but I thought that maybe having an openness and some kind of vulnerability here would be—that something good might come from it, I don’t know. But that’s the first thing: Healthy can look different.”

The 29-year-old continued: “The second thing is you never know what someone is going through. So even if you are coming from a loving place and a caring place, that person is probably working on it or has a support system that they are working on it with, and you never know. There are many different kinds of beautiful. There are many different ways to look healthy and beautiful." She concluded the video message by saying that fans don't need to worry about her look in this video either and that she is filming it without makeup on: "By the way, I’m not wearing eyelashes or eyeliner right now. This is my face. These are my eyes, so don’t freak out about that now too please, oh my god."

The Thank You, Next singer also sent out love to her fans: "Sending you guys a lot of love, and I think you’re beautiful, no matter what you’re going through, no matter what weight, no matter how you like to do your makeup these days, no matter what cosmetic procedures you’ve had or not or anything. I just think you’re beautiful and wanted to share some feelings. Have a very beautiful day, and I’m sending you a lot of love." She kept her Tik Tok video casual and filmed it against a backdrop of windows while wearing a low-key gray zip-up hoodie atop a pale pink tank top. 

According to DailyMail, Ariana has been filming the adaption of Wicked in London and has had to weather comments from social media users about her weight and that her face has changed over time. She opened up about her anxieties before starting her message, while being firm about implementing body positivity, "I don’t do this often. I don’t like it. I’m not good at it. But I just wanted to address your concerns about my body and talk a little bit about what it means to be a person with a body and to be seen and to be paid such close attention to. I think we should be gentler and less comfortable commenting on people’s bodies, no matter what." 

She also reminded her fans that they're "not actually friends with her, and therefore they don't know details about her physical or mental health." Grande had previously been open about her struggles with anxiety and depression, as well as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). She developed the condition following the tragic bombing of her 2017 concert in Manchester, England.