Ariana Grande is opening up about her health and the changes in her body after fans expressed “concern” with her weight and figure.
In a candid TikTok video Tuesday, the musician asked fans to be more mindful when speaking about other people’s bodies, revealing that the body type that fans are comparing her to now was when she was struggling most.
“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 said. “[I was] at the lowest point of my life when I looked the way you consider my healthy, but that in fact wasn’t my healthy.”
She added, “I know I shouldn’t have to explain that. But I do feel like maybe having an openness and some sort of vulnerability here, good might come from it.”
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Grande opened the 3-minute clip by sharing that she believed people should feel “less comfortable” commenting on other people’s bodies, even if well-intentioned.
“There are ways to compliment someone or to ignore something that you see that you don’t like, that I think we should help each other work towards,” she said. “We should aim toward being safer, and keeping each other safer.”
Grande continued by saying that “healthy can look different” on different people and asked that fans have more grace when talking about about such topics.
“You never know what someone is going through,” Grande said. “So 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. Be gentle with each other and with yourselves.”
Grande ended the video by extending love to her fans and sharing some positivity: “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.”
Grande has been open about her struggles with anxiety and depression in the past. Back in 2019, she shared in an Instagram post that her anxiety and depression were at an “all-time high” as she canceled meet and greets during her Sweetener world tour.
“Today has been an extra rough one. After a handful of panic attacks, I feel like the wisest decision would be to not do sound check party or m&g [meet and greet] today and preserve my energy for the show,” she said at the time.
And in 2021, she shared a touching post to commemorate Mental Health Awareness Month, saying that “healing isn’t linear, fun, quick or at all easy.” She also revealed in 2018 that she was diagnosed with PTSD after the bombing at her Manchester concert in 2017 that killed 22 people.
