Warning: This article contains mentions of eating disorders.
THE film adaptation of the beloved musical, “Wicked”, will be coming to theaters this November 20, 2024.
Since then, the main actresses of the film, Ariana Grande (Glinda) and Cynthia Erivo (Elphaba) have been going on red carpets and promotions to get the word out. Aside from looking forward to the film, however, something else has captured people’s attention.
Recently, people online have been raising questions with regard to Ariana and Cynthia’s health, as they both appear to be thinner compared to when they first started filming “Wicked”.
tf is happening on that set pic.twitter.com/9ubNaFmAg4
— K🌬️ (@lSoldKenCrack) November 15, 2024
Many fans have started asking why the two have started to look thinner, and have also raised attention to numerous clips of the two actresses crying during press interviews, attributing it to their health.
Others have even gone so far as to say that it is most likely that either Ariana, Cynthia, or both of them suffer from eating disorders.
To this, I cannot help but ask: How is that any of our business?
Have we not learned?
Many have taken to X (formerly Twitter) to make comments regarding Ariana and Cynthia’s health, with others using it as an avenue to put together inane theories about how the two are both struggling with eating disorders and with others even making jokes at their expense.
What has since happened to kindness? To empathy? Or even minding our own business?
Both Ariana and Cynthia have been extremely open about their time filming on the set of “Wicked”; there are clips online of Cynthia’s death-defying stunts, and Ariana has also discussed how she and Cynthia had both gotten COVID while filming.
Ariana even shared that she was still sick just a week before she had to film the song “Popular”. The same happened to Cynthia a week before she had to do her biggest number, “Defying Gravity”.
Many fans have also come to the defense of both stars.
“I honestly don’t understand people who are judging Ariana’s weight,” one user wrote.
“We need to accept the fact that she’s naturally a skinny, petite, and small woman.”
Others have also brought attention to a TikTok that Ariana had posted back in 2023, wherein the singer-slash-actress addressed some concerns that people had about her body: “I think we should be gentler and less comfortable commenting on people’s bodies, no matter what.”
“If you think you’re saying something good or well-intentioned, whatever it is … we just shouldn’t. We should really work towards not doing that as much.”
She also stated in this video that the body she had that people were saying looked healthier was actually her unhealthiest version, in that she was on many antidepressants, drinking on them, eating poorly, and was at the lowest point of her life.
Many have also compared the situation to that of the late Chadwick Boseman, who passed away in 2020. Prior to his death, people online made jokes about his weight, only for it to be revealed that he had been struggling with cancer.
“Everyone is wicked for calling them out like this knowing what took place with Chadwick,” one user wrote.
Another said: “It’s wild how quick people are to judge someone’s appearance without knowing their circumstances. This could be anything – health struggles, stress, or personal challenges … Let’s stop with the unnecessary cruelty and show some compassion.”
you guys learned NOTHING from the chadwick boseman pic.twitter.com/ReXmV1UYRw
— kira 👾 (@kirawontmiss) November 15, 2024
The same happened with rapper Bad Bhabie, who was being attacked online by trolls talking about how skinny she was.
The 21-year-old then had to post to her Instagram story to say: “I’m sorry my cancer medication made me [lose] weight. I’m slowly gaining it back. So stop running [with] the worst narratives.”
Bhad Bhabie reveals she has cancer in new story addressing comments about her weight. pic.twitter.com/KLerATuPHv
— Pop Base (@PopBase) November 8, 2024
Time and time again, we have been taught that the appearance of celebrities is none of our business. I am not going to lie and say that I have not made comments here and there about how a celebrity looks, but I have come to realize how easily it comes to us to do so – how it all feels like second nature to judge everything about a person at the drop of a hat.
Who’s gained weight? Who’s lost weight? Who’s gotten work done? Why does she look like that? Why does he look like that? Why don’t they look the way I want them to look?
As 2024 comes to an end, I hope eventually we learn from our past mistakes – from Chadwick to Bad Bhabie, to every other celebrity we’ve judged without a second thought.
We wouldn’t make these snap judgments about the bodies of other people, much less those we care about. Why does having a celebrity status make it okay?
