Erivo, Grande, and the "Wicked" Weight of Public Concern

Source: Our Movie Guide, Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons (cropped)

Wicked is super pop-u-lar (pun intended!) and a cultural sensation, but there has been a flurry of posts and articles expressing worry about the film's two stars, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. For example, "They look scarily thin," "triggering," and "I'm concerned about them." As a therapist and eating and body image expert, I will give you the #1 thing you can do if you're concerned. But first, let's unpack why, at least in part, people seem so emotionally invested in these two.

Why do people feel so connected to these stars?

In addition to the fandom piece for "theater kids," the parasocial relationship with these celebs is probably a huge culprit here. A parasocial relationship is a one-sided relationship with a celebrity or influencer where you experience feelings for and about that person; internally, the person seems like a real and personal relationship even though you've never met (Haupt, 2023).

Parasocial relationships are common nowadays. Fifty-one percent of Americans seem to have had parasocial relationships, even though only 16% admit to it (Thriveworks, 2022).

Social media's access to celebrities' personal lives (e.g., home photos, glimpses into their routines, behind-the-scenes at photo shoots, and shares about their beloved pets) probably adds fuel to the feelings of familiarity and friendship. So, it seems reasonable to me that while I was reading the various threads and posts about Erivo's and Grande's body changes, it sounded like the celebs were the posters' besties!

Now that we are on the same page about where genuine concern may be coming from, we can move to what you can do about it (if that matches your position).

For those who are emotionally invested in Erivo's and Grande's weight and wellness, here's the #1 thing you can do: Put yourself in their shoes

Here's what I mean: Imagine you have a worldwide tour coming for a hugely anticipated film where you know you'll be vulnerable to massive public scrutiny and gossip simply for what you do and the talents you share. How would you prepare?

What would you need to do to feel as safe as possible from public ridicule, trolling, and bullying?

Consider how exposed you might feel as you pose before thousands of cameras and do interviews that will reach millions?

With the goal of feeling as safe as possible, what would you feel you needed to do physically? Mentally? Spiritually? Appearance-wise, etc.

Just because celebs get paid a ton partially for the trouble of giving up a lot of their privacy, it doesn't mean they stop being human or having insecurities like the rest of us.

And about all the accusations of eating disorders, they have family and friends who love them and care about their wellness. They also have teams that need them "at their best." In fact, some of their team members' incomes depend on their wellness and ability to maintain stardom. So if and when there are mental health items of concern, those people are probably frontline "alerters" and "interveners." Additionally, both Erivo and Grande have made mentions in interviews about utilizing therapy. So, they have people closer to them who are going to be a lot more effective at addressing any concerns if problems arise.

A side note: Did you know we cannot spot an eating disorder by someone's appearance (Bulik, 2015)? You can look super "healthy" and have one. You can look super "unhealthy" and not have one.

Finally, for those who have expressed concern via the word "triggering," the emotion behind that is for both the stars and yourself probably. This is a longtime Hollywood thing where we, the normal public, compare ourselves to celebrities, and it activates negative feelings about ourselves and tanks our own body image (Brown & Tiggemann, 2023). If you are "triggered," please take it to your support team. Whether that's a friend, family, or a therapist, you deserve your own nurturing and self-compassion about that.

Bottom line

The public's expressions of worry about Erivo's and Grande's weight changes may have gone too far. For example, USA Today, a mainstream news outlet, released "Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, and Why the Cruel Body Comments Around 'Wicked' Need to Stop" (Trepany, 2024). Genuine emotions and concerns are being spun into what fans probably didn't intend: fuel for the multi-billion dollar celebrity gossip industry.

So if you have real care about or for Erivo and Grande, please put yourself in their ruby red or sparkly crystal shoes, and act accordingly. We all want to feel safe in life—celebs included.