Ariana Grande has been body-shamed in the same week a creator has been shamed for being too fat and the comments reveal a harsh reality.
In the same week singer Ariana Grande was slammed for being too thin, a plus-size creator was roasted for being too fat.
Women can’t win … at least not when it comes to our bodies.
Grande faced the scrutiny head-on and took to TikTok to respond to the body shamers calling the singer “too thin” and “unhealthy”.
“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 and drinking on them and eating poorly,” she revealed.
The singer also tried to educate her fans and said that she was actually at her “lowest point” when people felt she looked her healthiest.
Similarly, Rosie Jean, known as Fatrosephoenix on social media, wears 6XL clothing and has also hit back against the criticism she faces about her body.
The Sun reported that the content creator said: “My mere existence as a fat, confident, pretty woman threatens so many types of people and their perception of themselves.
“They hate themselves so much they cannot FATHOM how I love myself. And frankly, that’s a failure of their own self-awareness, not a failing of mine.”
The irony isn’t missed by me.
We are sending women such unclear messages about what they are meant to look like, all while making it clear there is a way they should look.
You are either too fat or thin, and it just makes women feel like failures.
When Taylor Swift opened up about her battle with an eating disorder, she spoke about this syndrome.
“If you’re thin enough, then you don’t have that ass that everybody wants. But if you have enough weight on you to have an ass, your stomach isn’t flat enough. It’s all just f***ing impossible,” the superstar explained.
Clinical psychotherapist Julie Sweet explained the scrutiny surrounding famous women’s bodies impacts most women and that it shouldn’t be ignored or downplayed.
“Body image matters, especially when the messaging is negative and being projected, not coming from the famous person directly yet by the media or others, for example,” Sweet said.
Sweet also pointed out that young women often look to famous women for a sense of direction, and seeing their favourite star’s being shamed about their weight sends a dangerous message.
“If those women aren’t above body shaming, many young women are left thinking, ‘Then what chance do I have?’
“It sets a tone that can lead young women to internalise and may create negative self-talk, self-loathing and a poor sense of self,” she told news.com.au.
At this point, it would be impossible for young women not to internalise the messaging they hear about famous women’s bodies.
The conversation is so loud and ongoing that just advising women to drown it out is impractical advice.
We aren’t even halfway through the year, and actor Selena Gomez’s body has become an enormous conversation.
People’s obsession with her weight gain got so intense that she revealed she’d gained weight due to taking medication to help treat the symptoms of Lupus but also added that she wasn’t a “model”.
Meanwhile, a viral tweet claimed singer Lana Del Rey gaining weight was “worse than 9/11”.
Plus, actor Lana Condor got body-shamed for growing up.
Condor became famous when she was 19, but when she turned up at the after-party for the Oscars as a 25-year-old woman – she was shamed for no longer looking like a teenager.
Then there’s singer Jessica Simpson, who is currently fielding concerns that she’s gotten to skinny after spending most of the 2000s with people constantly commenting on her weight.
When Simpson appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show in 2009 she revealed that the endless chatter about her body combined with the rumours about her love life had taken its toll.
“The judgment of people … Those voices are sometimes in my head when I fall asleep,” the singer admitted.
Are you exhausted yet?
I am.
So, how do women counter all this ridiculous messaging? Well Sweet advises that it isn’t something women should try and tackle all by themselves.
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“By encouraging women to tap into their resources?” she suggested. “Whether that’s a therapist or group therapy, a friend or family member – or an entire village – lean in and speak up. It’s crucial that women ask for help and access support.
“It can be overwhelming otherwise.”
