There’s No Good Way to Talk About Celebrities and Eating Disorders

Content warning: This piece includes descriptions of eating disorders that may be triggering to some readers.

Viral discourse about celebrity women becoming frighteningly thin has become inescapable on social media .

There are images showing the most shocking evidence of weight loss, “before and after” compilations, and widespread speculation about covert GLP-1 usage . A lot of the conversation is being held under the guise of concern, but experts tell WIRED many of these posts—even if well-intentioned—misinform the public about eating disorders and can even serve as unhealthy inspiration or trigger those in recovery.

The discourse has reached a fever pitch after Ariana Grande released a music video for her new single and album “Petal,” which features her auditioning endlessly for a table of misogynistic male studio executives who urge her to “lose a few [pounds]” and “get some work done.” Nearly every comment on the video expresses concern for Grande’s health because of her thin appearance. Other celebrities like Jameela Jamil have spoken up , writing that the video was irresponsible for glamorizing a “deeply damaging image for her young fans.”

Following the public reaction to the video, Grande’s team announced that she would be pulling out of a planned theatrical run on London’s West End and “taking a much-deserved break from public-facing work and appearances, which has led to endless, ongoing public scrutiny” after she wraps up her Eternal Sunshine Tour. But that statement prompted even more critical discourse, with commenters arguing that they were being villainized for caring about the pop star’s health and influence.

It’s understandable why people are concerned, both for and about Grande.

The renaissance of the unhealthy “ heroin chic ” beauty standard, following the rise and apparent fall of “ body positivity ” in the 2010s, coincided with an alarming increase in the number of young people seeking treatment for eating disorders, which can be life-threatening .

Posting about eating disorders—celebrity or otherwise—can be an earnest attempt to save people from them. Images that highlight Grande’s thinness have become unavoidable, though, even for people who are actively trying to avoid being triggered by them. Their ubiquity is exacerbated by social media algorithms that show people increasingly extreme rabbit holes of the same kind of content they previously engaged with.

“I feel pretty comfortable saying that sharing these specific images of [Grande], including ‘before and afters,’ is both unhelpful and harmful,” says Allison Logue, a family therapist with a decade of experience treating patients with eating disorders. She said that sharing comparison pictures is common among people with eating disorders. Some of the viral posts about celebrity women’s appearances are indistinguishable or even come directly from pro-anorexia or “pro-ana” spaces where at-risk individuals use them as inspiration and to compete with each other for a similar appearance.