Ariana Grande’s latest Instagram post celebrating the end of her Glinda era has landed her in hot water, with social media users harshly ripping her apart.
A now-viral subreddit, r/ArianaGrandeSnark, infamous for repeatedly nitpicking the 32-year-old pop star, accused her recent images of showing signs of “emotional age regression,” calling them “unsettling.”
Ariana had shared the photos on her official account on Friday, November 21, to mark the release of her latest film Wicked: For Good.
“The less she’s getting her way, the harder she plays into it…” wrote one critic online.
Ariana Grande was accused by some fans of “acting like a baby” despite “being in her 30s”
Image credits: arianagrande
The carousel she shared on Instagram featured a mix of black-and-white and color photos from the newly released film’s set.
In the first image, Grande, dressed as Glinda, posed with her eyes closed, her face tilted slightly sideways, firmly holding what appeared to be a wooden trophy prop.
Other photos showed behind-the-scenes moments, including her posing with her iconic pink sparkly wand and her set trailer.
In a telling final snap, the singer wore the same gown as in the first image but stood with her back to the camera as she walked out a massive wooden door.
Image credits: arianagrande
The image appeared to symbolize Ariana acknowledging the end of her role in the blockbuster musical fantasy, starring alongside Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, and others, as the sequel and final installment of the Wicked universe premiered on Friday.
In the caption, she wrote, “thank you, my sweet Glinda, for everything. i will love you always … Wicked For Good is out now.”
The Supernatural singer paid tribute to her iconic Glinda character in the viral Instagram carousel
Image credits: arianagrande/Wikimedia Commons/Republic Records
However, the post quickly sparked online chatter after a Reddit user shared a side-by-side comparison of Grande’s first image with the cover photo of her 2013 debut album Yours Truly.
The comparison, posted on the subreddit r/ArianaGrandeSnark, drew attention to the former Nickelodeon star’s physical transformation over the years.
Image credits: Marshmallowgirlhood/Reddit
The user accompanied the images with a lengthy critique, writing, “she’s completely dealing with some form of emotional age regression trying to make herself appear as small and childlike as possible, she’s trying to go back to something that isn’t possible to get back to…”
They continued, noting that Ariana seems to be yearning to “go back” to a version of herself who was “actually young and naïve,” despite now being 32.
“Now she’s 32 trying to mask her flaws, traumas and terrible choices towards others and herself by trying to make herself as small and preserved as innocent and in need of help…”
Several fans voiced concerns about the singer, highlighting how “messed up” her recent images appeared
Image credits: arianagrande
The user concluded, “who’s gunna roast someone who needs help up da stairs or can’t even hold her trophy she’s just a wittle baby she can’t be held accountable.”
Another fan pointed to the Victorious star’s recent, eyebrow-raising weight loss, commenting, “All i notice is how high she intentionally lifts her arms to make sure we can see her waist. So messed up.”
Ariana has been under constant scrutiny for the past year, with fans feeling “scared” for her due to her seemingly frail appearances at public events, sparking concerns about her physical well-being.
Image credits: arianagrande
A second user agreed with these sentiments, writing, “That’s insane that she looks younger here than when she first came out… She’s definitely mentally going through something…but also girl needs to eat something and get that s**t handled because babygirl, put on your big girl pants and grow up.”
Grande has faced constant criticism over her physical appearance, especially following the press tour for the first Wicked film last year
Image credits: arianagrande
“Always wearing big clothes/shirts as dresses with thigh high boots and a high ponytail. She likes playing into smol, because that’s how she’s always gotten her way. Being babygirl…” remarked one netizen.
Six months before these criticisms were reignited by her recent Instagram post, the same Reddit user had accused Grande of “age regressing cause she’s getting old.”
The user’s post attacked Ariana for not “accepting” her age and attempting to appear younger by “losing weight.”
Image credits: Lynelleta/Reddit
“I deeply believe she’s having an age crisis, she looks like she wanna look younger than she is so bad, like she isn’t accepting the fact she’s in her 30s now.”
They added, “she probably feels like by losing weight, acting innocent wearing more pink and looking as small as possible she will be treated as an 18 years old or whatever, funny thing is she was younger she acted like a grown a** woman but the moment she hit 28 or smt and realized she’s gonna be 30 soon she changed her whole aesthetic.”
The We Can’t Be Friends singer’s past marriage to ex-husband Dalton Gomez was also brought up
Image credits: arianagrande/Gregg DeGuire/WireImage
Ariana and Dalton were married for a little over two years, from May 2021 to September 2023, when the couple filed for divorce.
Their split was legally finalized in March 2024, and since then, Grande has been publicly dating her Wicked co-star Ethan Slater.
The Reddit user cited this, harshly criticizing Grande, writing, “her failed marriage also a big reason to why she’s age regressing, I think getting married and then divorced makes you feel older than you are…”
Image credits: arianagrande
While the Swindle star has not publicly addressed ongoing speculation about her mental health or weight loss, she did share a concerning health update last week.
Grande tested positive for COVID shortly after appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, revealing the news on her Instagram Story on November 20.
She subsequently canceled all public appearances for the remainder of the month, including interviews and promotional content for the musical fantasy film, to focus on her recovery.
“She was a child actor… and tries to go back to that cute stuff. But its getting way too weird,” expressed one critic
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