Cover Ariana Grande (Photo: David Crotty/Patrick McMullan)
Ariana Grande (Photo: David Crotty/Patrick McMullan)
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From Ariana Grande to Sam Smith, these celebrities speak up about body shaming
It's one thing to tell someone to love and embrace their body more, and it's another thing to take that advice for yourself.
The topic of body scrutiny is a never-ending issue of fat-shaming, skinny-shaming, and complexion-shaming—anything you can think of that suggests the condemnation of someone's physical appearance. This doesn't just end with criticising other people, but also oneself. People often think, especially in front of their mirrors at home, about negative thoughts surrounding their bodies.
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Celebrities, however, are the easiest targets of body shamers. Others would argue that it is a price they pay for daring to exist in the public eye. But they are human, too, and can be hurt by the harsh criticisms of the masses. Thankfully, celebrities are now taking a stand against body shaming—some of which are mentioned below.
Ariana Grande
In a Tiktok video, Ariana Grande addresses concerns revolving around her weight. She encourages everyone to be kinder in telling their concerns about physical appearances.
"I think we could be, I think we should be, gentler and less comfortable commenting on people's bodies, no matter what," the American singer-songwriter says. "If you think you're saying something good or well-intentioned, whatever it is—healthy, unhealthy, big, small, this, that, sexy, not sexy—we just shouldn't. We should really work towards not doing that as much."
"Just [aim] towards being safer and keeping each other safer," Grande adds.
Ashley Graham
According to model Ashley Graham, beauty comes in all shapes and sizes and doesn't define who and what you are.
"As women gain weight, they start judging themselves. But who cares! Embrace what you have. Say, 'Belly, you might be poking out today, but I'm going to choose to love you and nurture you'," she adds.
Kim Kardashian
For television star and businesswoman Kim Kardashian, it's about "getting it together" and acting on everyone's insecurities.
"If I don't feel confident about my body, I'm not going to sit at home and feel sorry for myself and not do something about it. It's all about taking action and not being lazy. So you do the work, whether it's fitness or whatever. It's about getting up, motivating yourself and just doing it," she expresses.
Jennifer Lopez
Singer-actress Jennifer Lopez was and is always a believer in self-love, encouraging everyone that it's the first step to knowing your worth. If someone criticises you for it, then stand up for yourself. She says, "You have to stand up and say, 'There's nothing wrong with me or my shape or who I am, you're the one with the problem!'"
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Brendan Fraser
In an interview with BBC, The Whale star Brendan Fraser slams fat shamers, encouraging everyone to change our perspective towards obesity as a society.
"So often many of the people told me, when they were young, there was a figure in their life, who was either a parent, teacher, an adult, who spoke to them in a way that was recriminating, fundamentally being hurtful towards one another with what we say has real-life health concerns. And, it seems like, a single enough thing, we can do better to change that," he shares.
Selena Gomez
Selena Gomez is no stranger to the harsh criticisms online, especially on the topic of body. But she continues to rise above them all.
The actress and singer once shared in an Instagram post: "Because then the next day, it wasn't about how I gained weight, it was about how I embraced it. And that's just kind of my approach."
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Sam Smith
Sam Smith once told the Sunday Times that they dealt with body-image issues in school in the past. But now, they appear topless on the cover of their album Gloria. This was met with criticisms online, but the singer brushed them off.
"All I can say is that I looked fabulous," they proudly say.
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Camila Cabello
In a lengthy Instagram post, Camila Cabello shared her insecurities and realisations towards her body.
"I wanted to talk about this because we see pictures of women and praise them for looking good, for looking fit or 'healthy', but what is health if you are so fixated on what your body looks like that your mental health suffers and you can't enjoy your life?" the 'Havana' singer says.
"I'm not at the point of my journey where I can not [care] about the scrutiny I receive," she adds. However, she knows that what she looks like "doesn't determine how healthy, happy, or sexy I am."
Drew Barrymore
“My limbs work, so I’m not going to complain about how my body is shaped,” says actress and talk show host Drew Barrymore.
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Angela Nicole Regis Guiral is the assistant digital editor of Tatler Philippines. She studied journalism and has since written features that look closely at how culture, lifestyle and social impact converge, while occasionally wandering into the worlds of style and travel.
