The singer addressed fans directly in Chicago, saying the announcement was “not a reactive or impulsive thing.” She added that she planned to take a step back for a long time and that the decision “was made from a thoughtful and empowered place.”

Grande’s representative says she will take “a much-deserved break from public-facing work and appearances, which has led to endless, ongoing public scrutiny.” The scrutiny around Grande’s appearance and reported weight loss has only intensified since she appeared as Glinda in Wicked: Part 1 and deepened during the press tour for Wicked: Part 2.

The debate widened after Jameela Jamil criticized the visual writing, “this poor woman is possibly dying in front of us,” and arguing that Grande’s team had failed to protect her from harmful attention online. “This outfit is designed to accentuate the thinness for discourse. Her team are thoroughly irresponsible for not guiding her away from this deeply damaging image for her young fans to see so glamorized.”

Released on July 31, the “petal” music video garnered nine million views in just a few days, but much of the conversation online was about Grande’s appearance in the video.