by Sophia Higgins
I’m inclined to love Ariana Grande. Her music isn’t necessarily my favorite kind, but Ariana is a girl, and she’s a girl who has suddenly become ridiculously popular, and she’s a girl who is unashamedly herself. For me, it’s refreshing to see a someone is the spotlight who isn’t a male artist with misogynistic lyrics, even if these lyrics are catchy. It feels nice to not have to feel guilty for bumping a song that promotes violence towards women or that was created by a person exposed by the MeToo movement. I’m always painfully aware of the lack of female artists on my playlists and to be able to listen to Ariana sing about self love and being exactly who you are has been awesome. As with any woman in the spotlight, however, there is always criticism.
There’s no denying the extent of Ariana’s fame and the breadth of her fan base. Three of Ariana Grande’s songs from her recently released album, “Thank u Next”, currently hold the top three spots in the Hot 100’s Singles chart, tying a record set by The Beatles in 1964. Her “Thank u Next” music video achieved most streams in one week for a woman in the United States and the United Kingdom. The music video blew away Adele’s record with the fastest rise to a million views. It broke Taylor Swift’s record for most plays on Vevo and Youtube in twenty-four hours. The album itself was the most streamed album by a female artist in a week, breaking a UK record. Without a doubt, the twenty-five year old popstar has reached a new level in her career and made history with the release of the album, “Thank u Next.”
For me and many others, the young pop singer is an idol and an inspiration. Her music is unashamed, personal, sassy, touching and catchy. She sings from her heart and from her experiences, and more importantly: she sings for girls. Her single, “Thank u Next” honors her exes and thanks them for what she’s learned, but closes with a message about self love. The first time I heard “Seven Rings” it seemed superficial and vapid on the surface. However, in an industry where men are praised for sexist, materialistic lyrics, and women who do not present a certain image are judged, “Seven Rings” is empowering. To me, it enforces a dismissive attitude towards maintaining a likable image and revolts against what women are “supposed” to sing about. Even “Breakup with your girlfriend, I’m bored” seems to mock and provoke its critics, and at the end of the music video Ariana kisses the “girlfriend” who looks a lot like her, which I think is promoting self love. Whatever it’s supposed to mean, as a girl it’s nice to see a woman do whatever she wants for a change.
Some tracks on the album are personal and heartbreaking. It’s hard not to listen to “ghostin” without thinking about Mac Miller, Ariana’s ex boyfriend who recently passed away due to a drug overdose. The song also expresses love towards Pete Davidson, her most recent ex and failed engagement. In “Fake Smile” Ariana is blunt about how much pain she deals with on a daily basis, and how much she’s constantly holding in. On May 2017, a suicide bomber attacked Ariana’s concert in Manchester, killing twenty three people and invoking mass hysteria. The young singer has been through a lot in the past years, and she’s transparent about her struggle throughout her music. Even beyond her music, she’s a role model of strength and healing for women. She pushes boundaries and does anything but conform.
Still, as with any person in the public eye, controversy over Ariana Grande exists. After the release of Seven Rings Grande was accused of stealing rapper Soulja Boy’s flow from his song “Pretty Boy Swag.” I didn’t personally see how this was as terrible as people made it out to be. Artists sample music and recreate other people’s art all the time to fit their own purposes. Maybe I don’t understand the music industry as much those who were very upset, or maybe it’s just not that deep.
Ariana has also been criticized for her extensive tanning and people have claimed that her use of black culture to further her music career and become more likable is culture appropriation. Throughout history, black culture has been appropriated and gentrified into “swag” for white people who admire the culture but who do not credit and respect the black artists it comes from. This is still a pressing and prevalent issue in 2018, with black artists only just starting to get the recognition they deserve in award shows like The Grammy’s and The Oscars.
Ariana is not the only one doing this, other cultural icons like the Kardashians have had extensive surgery and tanning to the point where they look very little like their previous selves. The decision to have plastic surgery is complicated because it is tied up in the idea that women should have the right to choose the way they want to look without judgement, but often that decision is based off of the beauty norms which were created and enforced by the patriarchy. Extreme body changes also become problematic when they are being used to try to access the “coolness” associated with being a black artist, while real black artists are still suffering from systematic oppression and lack of acknowledgement. It is unclear whether Ariana is simply mimicking the latest beauty norms or if she’s purposefully attempting to look black. In my opinion, either way, this is a larger issue of serious consequence that deserves much more attention and conversation in our society.
Fierce Ariana haters have even gone as far as to blame her for the death of Mac Miller. Ariana and Mac dated for two years, and the young singer revealed to her fans that their split was due to the difficulty of dealing with Mac’s drug addiction. Relationships can be toxic even if no abuse is occurring and to me, Ariana’s choice to put her own life first was extremely rational and brave. People criticized the announcement of her engagement to Pete Davidson that swiftly followed her breakup with Mac. When Mac overdosed on heroin September 7th, 2018, many of his fans blamed Grande for worsening his struggles. How can equality exist when women are expected to shoulder the mental pain of their partners and watch them destroy themselves while attempting to save them? Women in our society constantly face judgement when they put themselves before their partner, while men don’t seem to be held accountable for the actions of women in the same way, and when the situation is reversed these women are typically labeled “crazy” or “toxic”.
Cultural appropriation is a major issue and it is hard to know where to stand when Ariana has clearly done so much for her fans, but also perpetuates ignorance and racial insensitivity. Despite what kind of person Ariana Grande might be inside, she is a woman in a male dominated industry. While men in the music industry are rarely called out for their objectification of women, criminal behavior, and general disinterest in respect, women artists have suffered under heavy criticism and harsher judgement for everything they do. It seems it is our society’s tendency to disregard questionable behavior when it comes from beloved male artists, but that women in the spotlight are constantly attacked for their choices and self image. While racism in any form, intended or not, is a serious issue, so is sexism. This aspect of the music industry is often glossed over due to hip-hop’s roots in the objectification of women. Taylor Swift was “cancelled” for being dislikable, and it seems that a tide of dislike is now forming for Ariana Grande. While these female artists are placed under a microscope, the music of rappers like 69, who has been accused of having sex with an underage girl, is still blasted at parties with no concern.
There is not one issue of oppression that is more important than another and it is important to work on shifting the way we treat minorities of any kind and the way we present ourselves to the world. Ariana Grande, like most young people in the public eye, is questionable for many of her decisions. This does not take away from what she has achieved as a woman in an art form dominated by men. Her music reminds us as women to love ourselves first, and to never apologize for who we are.