"This poor woman is possibly dying right in front of us."
Jameela Jamil sparked outrage for saying Ariana Grande “is possibly dying right in front of us” while raising concerns about the singer’s appearance.
The actress made the comments after fans expressed concern about Ariana’s noticeably thinner figure in her new music video for ‘Petal’.
She initially wrote online: “This poor woman is possibly dying right in front of us. This outfit is designed to accentuate the thinness for discourse.
“Her team are thoroughly irresponsible for not guiding her away from this deeply damaging image for her young fans to see so glamorised.”
The comments left some people upset, who hit out at Jameela.
One wrote: “How many times has Ariana said that comments about her body affect her deeply?? just accept her art and LET HER BE.”
Another said: “Say this to her personally, don’t body shame her to get clout. She doesn’t know Ariana’s dynamic.
“She has family and friends, and this woman is making an uninformed statement about someone she doesn’t know.”
A third added: “Those who’ve struggled with weight know it doesn’t help when everyone has an opinion regardless of if they think it’s helping.
“Ariana has made it clear that comments about her body affect her deeply. Imo this should’ve been a private message to her personally or ppl close to her.”
Jameela Jamil later clarified her remarks, explaining she was highlighting concerns around body image and the way thinness can be portrayed in popular culture.
She wrote on Instagram Stories: “I said possibly. My god.
“And my point stands, that this is deeply irresponsible for all the people involved to deliver this aesthetic as glamorous to the many billions of girls and women consuming this imagery.”
“Trying to use this as a b**ch fight is DISGUSTING and missing the point. Making you part of the problem.
“I feel extremely bad for Ariana having almost died of anorexia myself.
“And it was only due to the people around me intervening INSENSITIVELY once I willfully ignored (and sort of enjoyed) their careful concern, that l survived. I don’t know Ariana and pray she recovers.”
Jameela added that her comments were aimed at younger audiences rather than Ariana personally:
“I don’t think she’s in the comments sections of tiny posts, but young girls watching are, and we need to signal to THEM that this is not the time to pretend this is ok, just because ‘we shouldn’t talk about other people’s bodies’.”
Jameela also argued that conversations around public figures and body image should not be ignored when she believes harmful beauty standards are being promoted.
“Silence is complicity when it gets this far.
“Look at Karen Carpenter. The accentuating of the thinness with the outfit, is how we can guess this is likely not some physical ailment.
“This is a statement. One that can harm little girls everywhere.”
“Which I don’t think she would ever want for them. Are we waiting for a star to die before we admit the beauty standard is out of control?”
Ariana Grande’s new music video sparked worry among fans over her appearance.
In the video, Ariana plays Pepper, an aspiring actress attempting to break into the entertainment industry.
The storyline follows her character being repeatedly rejected by industry executives, who describe her as “unmarketable”, “unattractive” and “inauthentic”.
The video ends with Ariana’s character returning to the audition room with a chainsaw and violently attacking the executives before receiving praise from other female auditionees.
Many viewers focused on Ariana’s visibly thin appearance, describing it as “shocking and heartbreaking”.
Ariana Grande has previously insisted that she is healthy and has asked people to avoid making assumptions about her body.
She is currently on her Eternal Sunshine tour but will be taking a step back from the public eye after it concludes on September 1, citing “endless, ongoing public scrutiny” over her appearances.
The controversy comes shortly after Jameela Jamil called the British “the most evil people in history” when criticising the nation’s role in colonisation.
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