We contribute to Ariana Grande's decline – and pretend it's about concern

Images of Ariana Grande's emaciated body circulating on social media have reignited a debate about the public's obsession with scrutinizing women's appearances. Following the release of her new music video for "Petal," in which Grande appears thinner than ever, her representatives announced she would take a break from public life after her world tour, citing the relentless examination of her body as the cause.

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We learn the language of self-starvation and begin to explain it in terms of being healthy.

While the reasons for Grande's weight loss remain unknown, many speculate it is due to a severe eating disorder. This has ignited discussions online and in cultural commentary about whether it is appropriate to discuss a woman's body, especially when she may be ill. Some argue, like DN's Catia Hultquist, that discussing dangerous body ideals is necessary, while others, like Joanna Górecka in GP, have labeled Grande a "super-spreader" of body shaming, particularly given her young audience.

The author contends that individuals who grew up around the millennium, like Grande herself, were exposed to "pro-ana" content online that romanticized eating disorders and the anorexic body. This exposure, the article suggests, led many to adopt the language of self-starvation, reframing it as healthy. Grande herself contributed to this phenomenon by transforming unhealthy behaviors into virtues.

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It is not okay to comment on someone's body.

Ultimately, the article places the responsibility for promoting unhealthy body images not on Grande, but on society. It argues that the "sick brain" of someone with an eating disorder perceives any mention of their illness as the worst possible outcome. Therefore, the blame for any negative influence Grande might have cannot be placed on her, but rather on the "staff" of people who enable and perpetuate these harmful standards.

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The responsibility as a super-spreader can therefore – as many have already noted – not be placed on the presumably ill Grande. It rests on the staff of people who...