But not about Ariana Grande.

Plenty has been said recently about both Ariana Grande’s physical appearance and the shocking drama that unfolds in her latest video, “petal,” where a Hollywood hopeful takes revenge on vicious, sexist critics. Major newspapers, comedians, and millions of social media followers have offered hot takes and deeper dives. The personal comments have been enough to cause Ms. Grande to leave the arena — whether for now or for good, who knows? As one commentator acknowledged recently, “The woman must be exhausted.”

Older viewers may have seen artists publicly struggle with body image before, and they may have something to say to younger women about their fears. Younger viewers may have wisdom to offer older audiences about being “always on” online and learning to be okay despite constant, anonymous — but deeply personal — feedback. Ms. Grande has asked previously not to be commented on personally; still, while audiences hang on her every unspoken word, her direct request goes unheeded.

It is worth remembering that Ariana Grande is an artist whose job is to create works that inspire or provoke. Her latest album was her seventh to debut at #1, and the video for her latest single has certainly gotten attention. Surely she has proven that she has a powerful voice as an artist.

Audiences are expected to think about how art affects us. Art gives people things to talk about. Because all art is a form of expression, it is safe to assume the artist has something to convey. And artists know the conversation can veer away from their intention.

However, interesting art is not literal-minded. If gifted, influential artists like Ms. Grande have something to say directly into the mic, they’re able to do that. Her latest video is a work of art, not a press release. Anyone concerned that Ms. Grande is saying too much or too little in this video may need to ask themselves why, in the words of its panel of casting directors, this video itself is “not good enough” to fulfill the expectation that art will move people and challenge them to think and feel.

In this social media age, people have a hard time remembering that they do not know famous people personally, no matter how much artists’ feeds may tell us about their personal lives. Adding to that false sense of connection, performers in some disciplines, like pop music, are expected to cultivate and engage with a personal following, beyond simply selling music and concert tickets. The one-way correspondence fans post in the comments section gives them a false sense that they are in conversation. It’s not so surprising when people lose perspective and believe that an artist who intentionally makes something that speaks to their soul is the same as an artist who cares about them personally.

But fans are not friends, and famous people are not talking to audiences as friends even when their art touches people deeply. The blurring of boundaries happens more explicitly when people’s bodies are part of the art, as Ms. Grande’s is in her video — which, after all, is about how ruthlessly cultures judge other people’s appearance and self-expression to be “not good enough.” Consider whether anyone would expect a painter whose painting makes them feel strong emotions to stand next to her canvas at the museum and field questions about what the elements “really” mean, and whether she is physically okay.

So what if we take this narrative work of art as intended — “thought-provoking” seems fair to say — and talk about what it makes us feel or think? This is patently a statement about a system and a culture causing harm to women and one woman’s response. It’s not hard to empathize with the main character. Might the narrative be asking the viewer to do something more? Is this a video just to enjoy and scroll past? If the video is uncomfortable to watch, as it seems meant to be, did Ms. Grande mean for viewers to ponder the problem she dramatizes, or to get in her personal business?

I could point out the brilliant cinematic choices that draw the viewer into a deeply sympathetic reaction, distance the viewer during the part of the action that’s harder to condone, and grab the viewer back by the heartstrings for the story’s “happy ending.” I would also argue that this video, while striking visually, has much more to convey than creativity or technical virtuosity. To be sure, Ms. Grande is a powerful enough artist that she will have had input into the director’s choices, but the result of their collaboration is not a documentary about one woman. Except on the level of the larger theme, the director and actors did not even attempt to connect this drama to present-day reality. (The retro vibe intentionally does the reverse.)

So why not take the work of art Ms. Grande has created and do what an audience does? Discuss. Debate. Love or hate the way this cinematic world makes you feel. Consider changing the real world in response. Art can inspire cultural shifts, but only if people use it correctly. In this case, the art highlights a problem that people, especially young women, in many cultures have faced for quite some time. If viewers of the video are inspired to be part of the solution, they should not see it as one woman’s current struggle, but instead as a persistent cultural problem. And should anyone want to solve that problem, starting conversations across generations — about what you think you know or understand, and what you can learn from newer voices and viewers — might be especially useful.

Ms. Grande did her job, and her performance got many people talking. But it is supposed to be a character and a culture we are talking about, not the artist herself — and it seems that culture needs this conversation now more than ever. This is a powerful video, and it’s absolutely good enough to get us to do our job: discuss, think, change.

(As published on Medium)