Is Ariana Grande’s Donut Defense Actually... Right?

A leaked security video shows Grande and her friend in a donut shop. (Photo: Corbis/Joe Lester)

Ariana Grande is in hot water after a leaked video showed the 22-year-old pop singer (jokingly) asking, “What the f—k is this? I hate Americans. I hate America” in a donut shop over the holiday weekend. (In a strange twist, she also “maliciously” licked a few of the donuts.) News outlets were quick to jump on the un-patriotic comments — a Fox News host called her a  “spoiled, entitled pop princess” — but Ariana’s defense of her outburst does raise a few valid points.

In a statement to US Weekly, Grande explained that, “[a]s an advocate for healthy eating, food is very important to me and I sometimes get upset by how freely we as Americans eat and consume things without giving any thought to the consequences that it has on our health and society as a whole.

“The fact that the United States has one of the highest child obesity rates in the world frustrates me.  We need to do more to educate ourselves and our children about the dangers of overeating and the poison that we put into our bodies.  We need to demand more from our food industry.”

The pint-sized singer calls herself an “advocate for healthy eating.” (Photo: AP/Jordan Strauss) 

While some outlets have raise fat-shaming flags, and her delivery could have used a little sugar-coating, from a health perspective she’s not exactly wrong. More than two-thirds of American women and three-fourths of men are now considered overweight or obese, we reported, and more U.S. adults are now obese than overweight. Alarming statistics, especially when you consider that “healthy” obesity almost always turns unhealthy overtime, and can cause myriad major healthy problems.

While Grande isolated Americans in her comments, her concerns are a little more far-reaching than she might think. A recent survey of adults from the United States, Canada, Iceland, and Australia found weight to be the number one cause of childhood bullying. Three-quarters of participants from the four countries thought that schools need to raise awareness on weight-based bullying and adopt policies that protect overweight kids. And while America still tops the list of the world’s most obese countries, China, India, and other countries aren’t far behind.

One last thing though, Ariana. Your views on the obesity epidemic may be sound, but take note — food-borne illnesses are no joke, and licking food people are about to buy isn’t cool. Next time you want to express yourself, try to keep your saliva out of it.

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