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<\/div>\n<\/div>\n‘Wicked’ recap: All things Oz<\/p>\n
“Wicked: For Good\u201d is finally here. Here\u2019s where Part 1 of \u201cWicked\u201d left off.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
The highly anticipated \u201cWicked: For Good\u201d <\/a>hit theaters<\/a> Nov. 21, and the internet is abuzz not just with takes on its musical numbers and unexpected plot moments, but with in-depth discussion of the bodies of its stars. Online commentators have focused on the appearances of Ariana Grande<\/a>, Cynthia Erivo<\/a> and Michelle Yeoh<\/a>, with fans making assumptions about their health based on their thin looks.<\/p>\n Grande, Erivo and Yeoh are far from the only celebrities who’ve received this kind of scrutiny, but as three of this year\u2019s most visible stars, the discourse raises the question: when is it OK to comment on a public figure\u2019s body?<\/p>\n Dr. Elizabeth Wassenaar, regional medical director at the Eating Recovery Center, previously told USA TODAY that commenting on someone’s weight reinforces the belief that someone’s appearance is the most important thing about them.<\/p>\n More: <\/strong>TikTok has banned #SkinnyTok, but will it make a difference?<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n “These comments about how your body is acceptable or unacceptable, it reinforces again that you are not worth more than your body… and that you have to present yourself a certain way for the world to find you acceptable,” she said. “It just reinforces that sort of superficial, body-focused idea that we know is so painful and harmful for every single one of us, because we are so much more than this vessel that carries us.”<\/p>\n Wassenaar added that comments about someone’s body don’t just impact that person. They impact “every single person that lives in a body.”<\/p>\n Another problem with commenting on someone’s looks is you don’t know their situation, Chelsea Kronengold, former communications lead at the National Eating Disorders Association, previously told USA TODAY. The Mayo Clinic lists myriad potential causes for weight loss, including mental health challenges like disordered eating as well as physical illnesses.<\/p>\n Grande responded to the backlash in a Dec. 5, 2024 interview<\/a> alongside Erivo, where she told French YouTuber Sally that “It\u2019s hard to protect yourself from that noise\u201d and said she’s felt like a \u201cspecimen in a Petri dish\u201d since entering the spotlight as a teenager.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s something that is uncomfortable no matter what scale you\u2019re experiencing it on,\u201d Grande says. \u201cEven if you go to Thanksgiving dinner and someone’s Granny says ‘Oh my god you look skinnier, what happened?’ or ‘You look heavier, what happened?’ That is something that is uncomfortable and horrible no matter where it’s happening.\u201d<\/p>\n The \u201cWicked\u201d discourse comes amid a broader shift in how Americans are discussing t<\/a>h<\/a>inness<\/a>. Many Gen Z fans of \u201cWicked\u201d watched the rise and fall of an era of body positivity<\/a>. Starting in the mid-2010s, a wave of size-inclusivity became mainstream: brands like Sports Illustrated Swimsuit, Dove and Victoria\u2019s Secret began showcasing more diverse bodies, while hashtags such as #EffYourBeautyStandards and #BodyPositivity encouraged people to post imperfections like cellulite and stretch marks on social media.<\/p>\n For some of these young people, watching thinness become so prominent again in Hollywood suggests this era is over. Conversations about fat acceptance have retreated with access to rapid, GLP-1-induced weight loss and the rise of the \u201cundetectable era<\/a>\u201d of plastic surgery. Cultural indicators of thinness, like the surge in popularity of Pilates, and the Y2K low-rise jeans making a comeback, have followed.<\/p>\n Stars like Meghan Trainor<\/a>, Oprah Winfrey<\/a> and Chrissy Teigen<\/a> have opened up about using weight-loss drugs. So have visible athletes like Serena Williams<\/a>. And body-positive influencers like Remi Bader<\/a> have shared with their audiences that they\u2019ve undergone weight loss surgeries.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe’re almost seeing a return to the outward profession of the desire to be skinny, whereas for a while it’s been, \u2018I want to be healthier, I want to engage in wellness,\u2019\u201d University of Vermont associate professor Lizzy Pope, whose research focuses on how diet culture appears in popular culture and on social media, previously told USA TODAY. \u201cWhat I’m seeing is a return of that language being accepted.\u201d<\/p>\n More: <\/strong>Pilates, low-rise jeans and Kardashian weight loss: Is ‘skinny’ making a comeback?<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n The search for \u201cthe perfect body\u201d isn\u2019t new. At its core, body trends suggest women need to look a certain way to feel accepted.<\/p>\n “When we treat our bodies as clothing you pick up and put down, it’s ignoring the fact that bodies are different from clothes,” UCLA sociology professor Abigail Saguy previously told USA TODAY. “You can’t just discard and change your body, and you shouldn’t want to be trying to do so,” she says. “It’s quite dangerous when we suggest to women and especially young girls that their bodies should somehow respond to trends or that there’s a right way or wrong way to look.”<\/p>\n As public figures, the “Wicked” stars’ bodies will naturally face more attention. But making TikTok compilations and photo edits directly comparing their bodies before and after filming, and using the situation to chase views and likes online, is insensitive and harmful.\u00a0<\/p>\n Grande, Erivo and Yeoh may not see every post about them. But young, impressionable kids on social media will, and for those already struggling with disordered eating, seeing women described as \u201cemaciated\u201d or \u201cskeletal\u201d can have the opposite of the intended effect, inadvertently validating harmful behaviors.\u00a0<\/p>\n Parents are wondering<\/a> how to talk about all of this with young viewers, and there isn\u2019t a perfect answer. Fans and critics alike will never truly understand what these stars are experiencing, and should avoid making broad assumptions about Grande, Erivo and Yeoh\u2019s health. But ignoring the questions altogether isn\u2019t the answer, either.\u00a0<\/p>\n Pope, speaking about social media content on TikTok, warns that as long as skinniness is seen as an indicator of societal status and health, content glorifying thinness will replicate on other platforms. This extends to Hollywood, as well. She advises that parents of teenagers should proactively address diet talk and create a home environment that fosters strong value outside of appearance.\u00a0<\/p>\n Experts say it\u2019s important to open up conversations about healthy body image early. With \u201cWicked,\u201d part of that conversation might mean redirecting comments about actors\u2019 bodies to talk about the film itself, while also reinforcing what everyday health looks like.<\/p>\n The goal isn\u2019t to avoid these topics, but to help young people understand that their bodies aren\u2019t trends, and that their worth isn\u2019t defined by how others comment on them.<\/p>\n If you or someone you know is struggling with body image or eating concerns, the National Eating Disorders Association’s toll-free and confidential helpline is available by phone or text at 1-800-931-2237 or by click-to-chat message at\u00a0 nationaleatingdisorders.org\/helpline<\/a>. For 24\/7 crisis situations, text “NEDA” to 741-741.Charles Trepany, Jenna Ryu and Sara Moniuszko contributed reporting.<\/p>\nThe rise of thinness, GLP-1s and undetectable surgery\u00a0<\/h2>\n
How parents can talk to kids about ‘Wicked’ in the context of body image<\/h2>\n