- What Is Body Image?
- Take our Disordered Eating Test
- Find counselling to improve body image
Key points
- Ariana Grande’s physical appearance has become a popular topic of discussion on social and mainstream media.
- Focusing on celebrities’ bodies discourages personal agency in promoting our own healthy body image.
- We can best help our daughters by modeling full lives that are not centered on celebrity culture.
- Eating disorders require professional attention and cannot be resolved with dialogue on social media.
The internet has exploded with discussion and debate about Ariana Grande’s physical appearance, which has been described by many as sickly and emaciated. Whether on Instagram, Threads, Facebook, or even in mainstream news outlets, everyone has an opinion about the superstar’s health status and its possible effects on girls’ and women’s body image. These reactions are part of a larger dialogue about the disturbing resurgence of an extreme thin ideal in celebrity and influencer culture
Those who endorse the need to publicly “call out” Grande’s physical appearance correctly argue that discussion of unrealistic body ideals is important. We know from scientific research that the thin ideal is a majoral., 2021), and that pursuing it is associated with eating disorders and disordered eating (Thompson & Stice 2001)
But the focus on Grande specifically—or indeed on any celebrity—is not the best use of our energy if we truly seek to promote healthy body image for ourselves, our daughters, and even for the celebrity herself
Why it doesn’t help you.Although it may feel like you are accomplishing something by posting or commenting on images of Ariana Grande, these are reactionsrather than actions directed to improving your own body image. Humans thrive when their behavior is independent and self-directed (Ryan et al., 2021). Instead of adding to the thousands of comments reiterating the same points, ask yourself whether you are too involved in these posts, and if so, why. It may be uncomfortable to acknowledge that excessive talk about bodies takes up a substantial amount of our time and while this may not be our fault—media and diet culture bombard women with body-focused content—it is our opportunity to recognize it and opt out.
- Consider instead: Slowly start to unfollow accounts that only focus on bodies, particularly celebrity bodies, and begin to replace them with those focused on a skill, hobby, or talent that you would like to cultivate. Meditation? Learning a new language? Crafting? Gardening? Opportunities abound.
Why it doesn’t help your daughter.Although some have argued that we must talk to our daughters about Grande and other extremely thin celebrities as a preventive measure, consider that research shows moms are the most prominent influencers in their daughters’ body image development (see Boseovski & Gallagher, 2024). If you are preoccupied with celebrity culture, you are sending her the message that it is an important way to spend her time
- Consider instead: Model for your daughter that your life is rich with purpose in yourworld to encourage her to follow suit. Discuss with her that the world of celebrities does not represent our lives and that celebrities’ pressures result in extreme behaviors. To be sure, it can be fun occasionally to visit this other world and enjoy the fashion and entertainment that comes with it, but it is necessary to establish clear boundaries.
Why it doesn’t help Ariana Grande.Many people feel that they “know” celebrities and that they have insight into their personal lives. But these are only parasocial relationships. We do not know Ariana Grande or the particulars of her experience. And if she is indeed living with an eating disorder, it is important to recognize that professional help is necessary, and that we are not in a position to make casual diagnoses. Anorexia Nervosa has one of the highest rates of mortality among psychiatric disorders (Lai et al., 2025) and it cannot be treated on social media. Implying anything otherwise might also discourage girls and women from seeking professional guidance for their own disordered eating.
Let’s regroup, exercise our personal agency, and move on to legitimate ways of working toward a healthy body image
- What Is Body Image?
- Take our Disordered Eating Test
- Find counselling to improve body image
Lai, E. T. H., Lai, B., Wong, C. S. M., Wong, L. Y., Cheng, K. S., Cheng, P. W. C., … & Chung, K. F. (2026). Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis of Mortality in Patients With Anorexia Nervosa. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 59(3), 424-449
Paterna, A., Alcaraz-Ibáñez, M., Fuller-Tyszkiewicz, M., & Sicilia, Á. (2021). Internalization of body shape ideals and body dissatisfaction: A systematic review and meta-analysis. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 54(9), 1575–1600. doi.org/10.1002/eat.23568
Ryan, R. M., Deci, E. L., Vansteenkiste, M., & Soenens, B. (2021). Building a science of motivated persons: Self-determination theory’s empirical approach to human experience and the regulation of behavior. Motivation Science, 7(2), 97–110. doi.org/10.1037/mot0000194
Thompson, J. K., & Stice, E. (2001). Thin-ideal internalization: Mounting evidence for a new risk factor for body-image disturbance and eating pathology. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 10(5), 181-183
