Singer Ariana Grande, actress Jenna Ortega, and model Kaia Gerber are at the center of growing public concern over extreme thinness in Hollywood.
The scrutiny follows Grande's announcement on August 2 that she is taking a temporary hiatus from public life after facing what her representatives described as endless, ongoing public scrutiny.
Public concern escalated after the release of Grande's music video for her latest hit single, Petal, in which her ribs and collarbones protrude from her frame. Observers noted that the visuals recalled singer Karen Carpenter, who died in 1983 from heart failure caused by anorexia nervosa.
Grande has never stated that she has an eating disorder. During promotion for her 2024 musical film Wicked, she addressed previous comments regarding her body on Instagram, describing public commentary on people's appearance as uncomfortable and horrible.
Social Media Backlash and Expert Warnings
Commentator Maggie Anders highlighted the issue after observing alarming discussions on Reddit forums dedicated to eating disorders. Users expressed distress over celebrity photos, with one anonymous poster writing: "I'm so so triggered by Ariana Grande. She's everywhere and it makes me feel like s***. I don't want to eat anymore every time I see her."
Another user wrote: "I'm years into recovery and I'm becoming obsessed with looking at photos of ariana looking so ill - it's like i don't want to see it, but at the same time, i can't look away." A third poster stated: "I had a very brief point of accepting my body before it became a trend to be gravely skinny. Now im back to square one."
Activist and British actress Jameela Jamil, known for her advocacy against body shaming, drew sharp reactions after commenting on Grande's appearance on Instagram. Jamil wrote that "this poor woman is probably dying right in front of us" and accused the singer's management team of being "thoroughly irresponsible for not guiding her away from this deeply damaging image for her young fans to see so glamorized."
Jamil, who has previously disclosed that anorexia nearly killed her in her youth, faced accusations of body shaming for her post but maintained her stance on the dangers of glamorising extreme weight loss.
Industry Figures Speak Out
Model Kaia Gerber, the 24-year-old daughter of supermodel Cindy Crawford, also addressed body image expectations in the September issue of Vogue magazine. Gerber, who stars in the Hulu drama series The Shards, remarked: "We're clearly in one of those cycles right now where people are very, very, very thin."
Gerber revealed that she has personally struggled with disordered eating, speaking candidly just one week after public concern surrounding Grande's weight reached a peak.
Concerns have also centered on 23-year-old actress Jenna Ortega, who starred in the hit Netflix series Wednesday. Following a recent interview and photo shoot in Esquire magazine, fans expressed shock at her slender appearance. In the interview, the former child star revealed that during her younger years she worked on television production sets "all day without eating, drinking."
Veteran Hollywood actress Demi Moore, 63, has similarly voiced concern over industry standards. Accepting her Golden Globe award in 2025, Moore recalled "moments when we don't think we're smart enough, we're pretty enough, we're skinny enough" to meet expectations.
In a subsequent interview with People magazine that same year, Moore opened up about her past struggles with body image. "I mean [I did] crazy things [with] diet and exercise… because I placed so much value on what my outsides looked like," Moore said, adding: "I did torture myself."
Wider Industry Concerns and Health Risks
Unease has extended to other high-profile figures, including Oscar-winning actress Emma Stone and actress-director Olivia Wilde, who prompted discussion during a recent public appearance in San Francisco. Recent photos of Moore at the Cannes Film Festival and Paris Fashion Week have further heightened public conversation.
The physical appearance of top stars comes alongside a reported online revival of pro-anorexia "ana" forums similar to those of the 1990s and 2000s. Social media users have reportedly shared starvation techniques and images of skeletal body shapes, captioning photos of celebrities with slang terms such as "thinspo" and "bonespo."
According to an analysis cited by the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), anorexia is the deadliest eating disorder and ranks as the second most lethal psychiatric disorder behind opioid addiction. Studies show that young women aged 15 to 24 with anorexia are 12 times more likely to die than their peers.
Anders called on major entertainment studios to stop casting extremely thin actresses in prominent roles to avoid incentivising drastic weight loss across the industry. She urged Hollywood to lift the blanket of silence surrounding body image issues, arguing that celebrity hurt feelings must not override public health discussions.
