Unfortunately, when celebrities' bodies change, fans and spectators alike seem to think that it's their duty to comment on weight gain or weight loss. Jorja Smith, a British R & B singer, is body-shaming trolls' latest target.
Smith rose to prominence in 2017 and 2018 with features on Drake's More Life and Kendrick Lamar's Black Panther soundtrack. In the summer of 2018, she released her first full length album, Lost & Found. Five years later, Smith is currently touring after the release of her second album, falling or flying.
Earlier this month, X user @ibzsmo3k called attention to the way Smith looks in an October 6 tweet of a video of Smith performing that went viral. They also posted a photo of Smith in 2017.
"What happened to jorja smith?" they tweeted. Replies to @ibzsmo3k's were cruel and body-shaming of Smith.
The discussion of Smith's body migrated to TikTok as well. One TikToker posted photos and videos of Smith in 2017 and 2023 with a pig emoji and declared her body changes a "#glowdown." Another account opened up her body for debate: @TheBissGossip asked viewers "what do y'all think" about how Smith looks.
Why it matters
Body-shaming is completely unacceptable. Discussing someone's body online is unacceptable. Smith's body is not up for discussion or debate, it is not a conversation piece.
Writer and body positivity activist Michelle Elman explained why commenting on someone's body is so harmful in a piece for Happiful published in June.
"You should never comment on anyone's body. Ever. There are no exceptions. I would even argue that when you 'compliment' someone, you are in risky territory, however well-intentioned your words might feel," Elman writes. "All of this shame that comes from commenting or criticizing another person's physicality can cause the individual on the receiving end to become isolated, as they withdraw from society for fear of this judgment and ridicule."
And think of the hundreds of thousands of people who have seen the tweets and TikToks shaming Smith for how she looks: Anyone who looks like her might also feel shamed and ridiculed. And onlookers who don't look like Smith will associate body changes like hers as dangerous and forbidden.
Many people have defended Smith, saying she's still beautiful, reminding others that women experience hormonal changes, and that weight gain can be linked to depression so it's better not to comment. But all these well-intentioned comments miss the mark, too. Bodies change and it's no one else's business. Body changes aren't only justified if someone is still attractive after the fact or because someone may be experiencing other health events. Bodies just change.
Smith is an artist—discuss her work, not the way she looks.
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Keep a civil tongue.