It’s 2023 and I think we’re all aware of the toxicity that the internet can bring. From hate comments to death threats, social media has become a breeding ground for people to spout whatever nasty opinions they have without any repercussions. Over the past few weeks, TikTok’s conversation of choice has been to comment on female celebrities’ bodies, aka body shaming.
With the rapid changes in trends and fads, standards of beauty constantly shift, and anyone who doesn’t fit the mold is immediately pointed out. From the “Y2K” era to the “insta baddie” aesthetic, there’s always a standard you aren’t meeting. The most recent celebrities that have been victims of toxic body shaming are none other than Selena Gomez, Ariana Grande, and Madison Beer. All of them responded to the shameful commentary as gracefully as ever, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that they shouldn’t have had to in the first place.
“Body shaming is the action or practice of mocking or stigmatizing someone by making critical comments about the shape, size, or appearance of their body.”
— Merriam Webster
SELENA GOMEZ
In an interview with Billboard in 2015, Selena Gomez disclosed her lupus diagnosis and all the physical and mental side effects that came with it. She has said multiple times that she struggles with weight fluctuation, yet people still take the time out of their day to comment on her body, which is honestly despicable. Spouting your opinion on someone’s body is completely uncalled for, especially when it’s known that she struggles with a life-threatening disease that affects her health in more ways than one.
Following the recent commentary on her body, Selena went on a TikTok live and explained why her body looked a certain way. She said that when she’s on her medication for lupus she tends to hold a lot of water weight, and when she’s off of it she tends to lose that weight. I think it’s great that Selena is open about her struggles with lupus and the side effects it causes because it destigmatizes topics like weight fluctuation and mental illness. However, it sucks that the reason she delved into it was because people were commenting on it.
ARIANA GRANDE
From one beloved singer to another, Ariana Grande’s appearance has also been a topic of conversation on social media. A photo recently surfaced of the newly blonde artist, and of course, people felt the need to comment on how different she looked. The comments included remarks about her age, her weight, and her overall health. Ariana posted a video to her TikTok responding to the invasive comments.
In the video, she addresses the comments made about her body and she says that the body they are comparing hers to is from when she was at her most unhealthy. She also extended a message to anyone out there who might be struggling with their body image saying: “I just wanted to extend some love your way and tell you that you’re beautiful no matter what phase you are in.” This goes to show how everyone’s perspective of a “healthy body” is different and we shouldn’t make assumptions about anyone’s well-being based on their physical appearance. There’s nothing wrong with being concerned about someone’s health, especially when that person is your idol or someone you look up to. However, there’s a difference between expressing genuine concern over someone, as opposed to using that “concern” as an excuse to give an opinion on someone’s body.
MADISON BEER
The last celebrity who has been recently under fire because of her body is Madison Beer. Madison’s body had been heavily discussed on social media prior to this incident, with people claiming that she’s gotten surgery and implying that her body isn’t natural. However, the most recent backlash she has faced is due to a red carpet look.
The comments on the video said things like “What happened?” and “Something went wrong.” Madison unfortunately saw these comments and replied to them with a comment of her own. She addressed the body shaming and expressed her disappointment at the remarks that were made. The fact that she saw the comments is so sad and honestly embarrassing for the people who made them. Imagine scrolling through your ForYou page and the first thing you see is someone talking about how bad a dress looks on you? Exactly, you would feel like sh*t, so don’t do it to someone else!
I think it’s safe to say that body shaming is never okay (it’s never been!). It’s easy to comment on celebrities since people think they’ll never see it, but you truly never know how your comments affect someone. No one should ever have to explain why their body looks the way it does, so the fact that these women even acknowledged the discourse is so admirable. Hopefully, the responses from the celebrities sparked some common sense in these haters and taught them to have some basic respect for others.