Last weekend, a representative for Ariana Grande announced that she would be “taking a step back from visibility due to ongoing public scrutiny” following the conclusion of her Eternal Sunshine tour on September 1.
In this statement, it was also announced that she would no longer be appearing in the West End revival of the Stephen Sondheim musical Sunday in the Park with George, in which she was supposed to star with Wicked co-star Jonathan Bailey.
Grande Clears the Air
This announcement appeared to come on the heels of a string of controversies and discourse surrounding Grande. It has largely centered on her change in appearance, with many expressing concern about her health for some time now.
Last week, during night 1 of the final stop on the North American leg of her tour, Grande took a break in between songs to set the record straight. She said her decision to step back was planned and of her own volition. Grande also noted that this tour is “the most healing, beautiful, corrective, magnificent, special experience of my life.” She firmly reminded her fans and the general public that “boundaries need to be set” and “human beings can need a break sometimes.”
Industry Pressure and Overwork
After nonstop work since 2021, including promoting her 2020 album ‘Positions’, the back-to-back filming of both Wicked films, the release of her seventh studio album ‘Eternal Sunshine’ in 2024, the filming of the upcoming comedy Focker-in-Law, and now her tour and release of her latest album ‘Petal’, some fans had suspected for a while that a hiatus for Grande was coming.
It’s well known that artists in the music industry are under a lot of pressure: to be likable, to be on point, constantly create, and put out content. Although Grande is now a much bigger artist with tremendous success, she entered the industry at a young age and was conditioned to perform within this culture.
“It’s interesting how much imposter syndrome there is among celebrities, and how much fear there is of losing the image they’ve worked so hard to build,” recalls Dr. Maggie Vaughan, therapist and author of Beyond Perfect: How Overwhelmed Parents Can Break Free From Performance Culture, based on her time working as a therapist in Beverly Hills.
“[Public figures] are at higher risk of burnout because not only are they working so hard, but they’re also processing the fact that they’re being judged and evaluated all the time. So they’re holding on to both things,” Vaughan notes that people on tour are at even higher risk of mental and physical health conditions due to schedule demands and changes in sleep patterns on top of the struggles of existing in the public eye.
Ongoing Body Discourse
There have been many conversations this past summer about eating disorders and diet culture. Many of these conversations sparked progressive dialogue about the societal obsession with thinness plaguing women’s self-image.
While we are getting better at openly discussing and calling out body shaming and promoting body neutrality and positivity, the talk about Grande doesn’t seem to be slowing despite the announcement of the hiatus. So it’s worth asking what we want to come out of all of this.
Most can agree that this conversation is no longer about Grande specifically, but about the young girls who look up to her. Bolstering extreme thinness on a massive scale can be dangerous; however, dragging out this specific discourse is not helping them.
Many professionals have come out and critiqued the way that some conversations about Grande and eating disorders were being held, with many calling out the way online spectators would zoom in on and evaluate parts of her body. “If, in fact, there’s disordered eating of any sort, the absolute worst thing you can do for someone with disordered eating is take them apart and evaluate them,” said Vaughan. “That is so much of what contributes to an eating disorder in the first place. It’s that self-consciousness and a desire to live up to expectations.” Again, this conversation is not solely about Grande anymore, so it’s extremely important that we treat it with extra care and listen to said professionals.
Fans Need to Support This Decision
Immediately after the announcement, many fans understandably jumped to Grande’s defense, attributing the hiatus to the public discourse about her health. However, some reactions saw fans more upset about the fact that we wouldn’t be getting more content from her anytime soon.
None of us are entitled to the constant access we have to celebrities’ personal lives. Fandom often struggles with entitlement and boundary setting. It’s one thing to love and support your favorite artists by looking forward to seeing them and consuming the art they put out into the world, but it’s also important to remember that they are human beings. They get tired, they get burned out, and they need to step back occasionally.
“Everyone needs to take breaks, and their reasons for taking those breaks are their own, and the kindest thing that you can do for someone you supposedly care about is to give them space to let them do whatever they need to do with that time,” says Vaughan.
There is no doubt that conversations we’ve been having for years surrounding Grande have the potential to be detrimental to someone in the spotlight’s mental health. Regardless of whether the current conversations about her factor into her hiatus announcement, it is still very much needed. Grande has given her fans so much in such a short amount of time. As she enters the final shows of the Eternal Sunshine tour, her fans now owe her respect for her wish to slow down.
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