Ariana Grande gets emotional talking about being a "specimen in a petri dish" and getting criticized for her appearance

Ariana Grande got emotional while answering the question about how she copes with society's beauty standards, especially with people making comments about her weight. Grance and her co-star Cynthia Erivo are on a press run for their Wicked movie, which was released in November in the US but only just came out in French cinemas on December 4.

During a recent interview with French reporter Sally Surx, published on her YouTube channel on December 6, she asked Ariana Grande how she copes with society's beauty standards, taking some context about her Glinda character. Tearing up, Grande appeared too emotional for words, saying:

"My goodness. I'm not gonna... Good question."

While Cynthia Erivo comforted her, repeatedly telling her 'It's okay," the pop star continued saying:

"I've been kind of doing this in front of the public and kind of been a specimen in a petri dish really since I was 16 or 17, so I have heard it all."

Ariana Grande recalled hearing everything about what was wrong with her since she's been in the industry for many years. She added:

"I've heard every version of it—of what's wrong with me. And then you fix it, and then it's wrong for different reasons. But that's everything from...even just the simplest thing...your appearance, you know?"

The Thank You, Next hitmaker further said that it was "hard to protect yourself from the noise," especially when she heard all those things when she was still young. That said, she admitted that hearing such criticisms is "uncomfortable no matter what scale you're experiencing it on." She added that regardless of who someone is, receiving those comments, like her weight, is "horrible."

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Ariana Grande says that people shouldn't feel comfortable commenting on other people's appearance

Speaking of commenting on how other people look, Ariana Grande said in the interview that there's some sense in today's society that makes people too comfortable in making remarks about someone else's appearance. She doesn't think it should be the norm, saying:

"I think in today's society, there is a comfortability that we shouldn't have at all... commenting on others' looks, appearance, what they think is going on behind the scenes or health or how they present themselves."

The Wicked star said that people have grown comfortable commenting what they think about someone else's wear, their bodies, or their faces, and she thinks it's "really dangerous." She emphasized:

"I think it's dangerous for all parties involved."

Taking inspiration from her own experience, Ariana Grande said that she's "really lucky" that she has a "support system" she can come to that will remind her that she's "beautiful." That said, she also acknowledged feeling that "noise" and being on the receiving end of those commentaries about how she looks. Talking about how she deals with it, Grande said:

"I just don't invite it anymore. It's not welcome."

The singer-actress stated that she's focused on things that are important to her—her work, living her life, and loving her friends. Whatever commentary or criticism from others is "not invited" because she doesn't leave space to have it in her life anymore. She added that "no one has the right to say sh*t" and encouraged everyone who can relate to the struggle to protect themselves from that noise.

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