Bella Hadid shares support for Ariana Grande amid body-shaming: ‘I am very proud of you’

‘You never know what someone is dealing with mentally or physically,’ Hadid says

Bella Hadid has expressed her support for Ariana Grande after the singer spoke out against negative comments about her weight and appearance.

On 12 April, the supermodel took to Instagram to repost the “Thank U, Next” singer’s now-viral TikTok addressing fan concerns over her body. In the video, Grande reminded viewers that “there are many different ways to look healthy and beautiful” and urged her fans to be gentle with themselves and each other.

“You never know what someone is dealing with mentally or physically. Disease or depression. Grief or heartache. You just don’t, and you will never know until you walk in a day in their shoes,” Hadid wrote on Instagram, tagging @arianagrande alongside a white heart emoji. “Instead of unsolicited advice or opinions, judgement or aggression, just try to offer a helping hand and be kind.”

The 26-year-old model explained that there’s “always a reason” for the way a person looks, and similarly told her fans to refrain from commenting on someone’s appearance “especially when you don’t know someone or what they’ve been through.”

“Instagram is not real and we need to look deeper and consciously remind ourselves that each of us are just human beings trying our best,” Hadid continued. “So next time someone wants to write a nasty article to make fun, or a mean comment to get some likes, just remember that. If someone wants to talk badly about another person, remove yourself from the conversation. It’s so much cooler to be kind.”

Hadid signed off her Instagram caption with a loving message for Grande, writing: “Love you guys. And love you Ari. This is so important, I am very proud of you. It will help so many people. Thank you.”

On Tuesday, Grande issued a rare statement about bodyshaming when she filmed a TikTok video of herself, addressing the mental health toll that such negative comments take on a person.

“I think we could be, I think we should be, gentler and less comfortable commenting on people’s bodies, no matter what,” Grande said in the clip. “If you think you’re saying something good or well-intentioned, whatever it is — healthy, unhealthy, big, small, this, that, sexy, not sexy — we just shouldn’t. We should really work towards not doing that as much.”

The “7 Rings” singer also asked her fans to stop comparing her current body to the one she had when they considered was at her most healthy.

“Personally for me, the body that you’ve been comparing my current body to was the unhealthiest version of my body,” she said. “I was on a lot of antidepressants, and drinking on them, and eating poorly, and at the lowest points of my life when I looked the way you consider ‘my healthy,’ but that in fact wasn’t my healthy.”

The Grammy-winner admitted that she “shouldn’t have to explain” that different types of bodies are beautiful, and that she chose to address critics in the hopes that she can help change the conversation around bodies.

“You never know what someone is going through,” Grande said. “So even if you are coming from a loving place and a caring place, that person probably is working on it or has a support system they are working on it with.”

Grande isn’t the only celebrity to speak out against body-shamers. In February, fellow singer Selena Gomez also addressed public concern about her changing appearance when she revealed that her lupus medication causes her weight to fluctuate. In a TikTok live-stream, the Only Murders in the Building star explained that her medication for the immune disorder meant that she “tends to hold a lot of water weight”.

“When I’m off of it, I tend to lose weight,” she shared. “I just wanted to say and encourage anyone out there who feels any sort of shame for exactly what they’re going through, and no one knows the real story.”

The Disney Channel alum went on to remind her fans that she was “not a model”, saying: “Never will be. And I think they’re awesome, mind you. I’m just definitely not that. I just wanted to tell you I love you guys, and thanks for supporting me and understanding. And if not, go away, because honestly I don’t believe in shaming people for [their appearance] or anything.”