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 certainly comes with immense privilege — not to mention access to high-profile events, lavish travel, and high-fashion wardrobes. Still, despite these perks, star status also means spending an excessive amount of time in the court of public opinion. We understand it to be the price of fame, but the way we treat public figures online does reveal an awful lot about our values — especially as it pertains to appearance and body image.

When a celebrity loses weight, commenters are quick to start channeling their innermost med student. Expect to see plenty of 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 on social media. 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 intense 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.

The same goes for physical appearance, as Millie Bobby Brown recently discussed in a March 4 Instagram Reel. "I started in this industry when I was 10 years old. I grew up in front of the world, and for some reason, people can't seem to grow with me," Bobby Brown said. "Instead, they act like I'm supposed to stay frozen in time, like I should still look the way I did on 'Stranger Things' Season 1. And because I don't, I'm now a target."

To her point, this obsession with scrutinizing celebrities' appearances (and bodies) does make a few things abundantly clear. One: that the world feels a little too comfortable judging strangers on the internet. Two: that we continue to conflate body size with health. And three: that we are deeply uncomfortable with change. Bobby Brown's takeaway? "Disillusioned people can't handle seeing a girl become a woman on her terms, not theirs," she said. "I refuse to apologize for growing up."

Bodies and appearances 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 looks 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.