Why Do We Expect Celebrities to Look the Same Forever?

We’re not going to sit here and say it’s hard to be a celebrity. Fame and fortune has its perks, from access to high-profile events to lavish travel and high-fashion wardrobes, but star status can also involve spending an awful lot of time in the court of public opinion. Still, the way we treat public figures online does reveal an awful lot about our values — especially as it pertains to body image.

When a celebrity loses weight, people start channeling their innermost med student on social media. The comments are flooded with Ozempic accusations and baseless diagnoses. On the other hand, if a celebrity dares to exist in a larger body, they’re reprimanded for “promoting obesity.” Others have even been accused of trying to conceal a pregnancy (as with Lady Gaga and Vanessa Hudgens, among countless others).

We’ve seen this pattern before with stars like Lizzo, who sparked debate for sharing her weight loss journey on Instagram, and JoJo Siwa, who had to overlook people openly commenting about her weight. More recently, Selena Gomez faced similar judgment after the SAG Awards on Feb. 23. Although Gomez has previously been criticized for gaining weight (and has since spoken about the body shaming she endured), people on social media were still quick to comment on her body.

She must be using GLP-1s, some said. She looks so healthy, others argued. She’s never ever looked better, more unhelpful commenters wrote. But the reality is this: bodies change, and we can’t assume anything about a person’s health (celebrities included) based on how their body looks.

This obsession with scrutinizing celebrity bodies does make a few things abundantly clear. One: that the world feels a little too comfortable speculating about strangers’ health. Two: that we continue to conflate body size with health. And three: that we are deeply uncomfortable with change.

When we use celebrities’ former bodies as a way to judge their present selves, we’re reinforcing the idea that evolving bodies are unacceptable.

We already know that antiquated systems like BMI are not complete nor accurate measures of health. But another important takeaway? Bodies are allowed to change. Your favorite child star isn’t always going to look like their prepubescent self, and that is totally normal. When we use celebrities’ former bodies as a way to judge their present selves, we’re reinforcing the idea that evolving bodies are unacceptable. None of us are going to look the same forever. So why not embrace it?

Chandler Plante (she/her) is an assistant health and fitness editor for PS. She has over four years of professional journalism experience, previously working as an editorial assistant for People magazine and contributing to Ladygunn, Millie, and Bustle Digital Group.