The Real Reason Ariana Grande Always Wore Oversized Sweatshirts and Thigh-High Boots Has Fans Heartbroken

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As a critic, I’ve always noted Ariana Grande’s distinctive style – those oversized sweatshirts with thigh-high boots became her look. But in a recent Vogue interview, she shared a surprisingly vulnerable story behind it. It turns out that iconic outfit wasn’t about fashion at all. She revealed it was actually a way to cope with immense personal trauma in 2018, a kind of protective armor she wore while the world saw a pop star. It really puts a whole new perspective on those images, doesn’t it?

The singer, now 32, shared that she was really struggling with her mental health during that time. She was dealing with the emotional fallout from the 2017 Manchester bombing, the unexpected death of her ex-boyfriend Mac Miller, and a very public, quick engagement that ended badly. Looking back at photos from that period, she admitted, “It was a really confusing time, and I was going through a lot.”

Ariana Grande explained that her choice of oversized, comfortable clothes was a way of wanting to withdraw from public life. She admitted she just didn’t have the energy to focus on fashion or put together elaborate outfits. “I honestly didn’t have the headspace to think about what I was wearing at the time,” she shared.

Her now-famous style was a balance between wanting to be comfortable and still feeling confident. “I always wanted to hide in something cozy, but I remember even the boots made me feel powerful,” she said with her signature humor.

Although the style came from a difficult time in her life, Ariana Grande wanted to be open with her fans about what she was going through. She felt bad that something many young people admired had such a painful backstory. She explained, “I have to be honest about this,” and emphasized how her mental health affected the image she presented to the public during those years.

Ariana is doing really well this year, successfully balancing her acting career with a return to performing live. She’s received a lot of praise and award nominations for her role as Glinda in Wicked: For Good, the second part of the popular movie adaptation that came out in late 2025.

She’s also getting ready for her “Eternal Sunshine Tour,” starting in June. This will be her first tour in six years, and she’s hinted it might be her last big music project before she takes a break to explore other creative interests.

Fans will soon see Ariana Grande not just on stage, but also in the new comedy Focker In-Law alongside Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller. She’s also joining the cast of American Horror Story for its next season, which she says was a lot of fun to film. Despite being busy with movies and rehearsals, Grande recently shared with Vogue Japan that her main focus for the next fifteen years is finding a good work-life balance and staying true to herself, rather than trying to please others.

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2026-01-28 22:14