Clinical psychologist breaks down ‘concern’ for Ariana Grande and health ‘scrutiny’

In the last couple of days there has been a huge conversation about Ariana Grande. People have been expressing what they have said is genuine concern for her health, as the singer announced she would be taking a break. Now, a clinical psychologist has broken down what can truly be called concern, and what is just scrutiny aimed at Ariana Grande.

When announcing the break, Ariana’s team referenced the constant “scrutiny” she has been getting recently. Whereas, for the most part, people online have said they are simply expressing concern for her.

“Ariana will be taking a step back from visibility after she completes the Eternal Sunshine Tour,” her rep told PEOPLE. “She looks forward to finishing the tour and ending it on a high note, both healthily and happily, and then taking a much-deserved break from public-facing work and appearances, which has led to endless, ongoing public scrutiny.”

For the longest time, the internet has been filled with discussions surrounding Ariana’s health and body image. Pictures and videos from her gigs are always going viral, with people commenting on her body.

*Content warning: This article contains discussions of eating disorders.* 

via Starbuck/AFF-USA/Shutterstock

‘Scrutiny starts with the body, concern starts with the person’

Dr Vivienne Lewis, a clinical psychologist and academic who has spent more than two decades working with people with eating disorders, has argued there is a fine line between people actually caring, and just talking about her body. She said scrutiny starts with the body, whereas concern starts with the person.

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Speaking to IBTimes, the doctor explained that scrutiny asks, ‘What does Ariana Grande look like now?’ and hunts for visible clues, zooming in on limbs and jawlines, and then makes bold assumptions about health purely from those images. It is, at heart, a visual judgement.

However, concern is very different. It starts with ‘How is she coping?’ That is a question about functioning, behaviour and mood, not clothes sizes. It doesn’t pretend you can diagnose someone from a photo.

The psychologist made a very solid point: You can’t diagnose someone as being in ill-health, just by looking at them. There are things social media simply can’t know.

While it’s important to note there is nothing wrong with worry, it was noted that worry does not come in the form of “forensic breakdowns of a woman’s body to platforms she uses to do her job.” It was added: “To the person being discussed, it is relentless and personal.”

Research cited by the psychologist showed stigma around eating disorders remains a major barrier for people seeking help. People often delay treatment because they feel ashamed, frightened of being judged, or convinced they do not “look sick enough” to deserve support.

The article said: “When timelines are flooded with comments praising one celebrity’s thinness while speculating anxiously over another’s, they are not neutral conversations. They reinforce the idea that bodies are a fair battleground, and that health can be ranked and read from the shape of a face.”

So, what do you do if you are worried and want to share that? The psychologist suggested thinking about your comments first. Are you about to comment on their body, or are you about to ask how they are? It was also suggested to not “fixate” on physical changes, and instead ask questions about someone’s behaviour.

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