Ariana Grande is currently sitting at the #1 on the pop charts for the third consecutive week, but she still has the time to call out female objectification in her spare time. When pressing matters come to her attention, Grande will type out lengthy messages and screenshot them to post to her 43M followers.
Her most recent message addressed a personal story that upset her. Her post here,
— Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) December 28, 2016
describes her outing with boyfriend Mac Miller. While Miller was interacting with his male fan, the fan said, “Ariana is sexy as hell man i see you, i see you hitting that!!!” This was said in front of the couple as if she wasn’t even present.
Grande admits she was horrified by the statement and she blatantly refuses to be objectified by that intrusive male gaze and comment saying, “I am not a piece of meat”.
This sexual objectification undermines Grande as just a girlfriend and only accessible through her relationship with a man. This instead of having common decency and respect for someone who is also successful and a human being as the person the male fan idolized.
This feminism inspired post isn’t Grande’s first experience speaking out, in 2015 she typed a lengthy rebuttal to the misogyny she’s faced in the industry. With the public storytelling, Grande wanted to present her frustrations with objectification not to glorify herself with a fierce and powerful rebuttal, but to improve upon the existing narrative of females being reduced. The shame associated with objectification and harassment breeds silence, and that silence breeds the sinister continuation of the practice in broad daylight.
With Grande’s powerful message and circulation, this issue has been brought to the light to be discussed about the reality many women face every day whether it be catcalling, harassment, or blatant objectification. Grande has been a motivating and vocal force for the bonding of strong women. That vocality is a start to changing the narrative of “yes, this still happens.”
Speaking up is one of the beginning, crucial steps to challenge a general ignorance of the true cost of the harmful consumption of the male gaze.
Grande ended her message with encouragement, “We are not objects or prizes. We are QUEENS.”
