Ariana Grande has hit back against misogynist and body shaming comments after being victim to both last weekend. Following comments she received on Twitter about her weight and a radio interview in which she was asked questions suggesting she could she never survive without makeup, it is clear there are still a number of issues surrounding our conception of celebrities and the way they look – especially female ones.
The US singer has been a fierce ambassador for many issues in the past, including homophobia, sexism and racism and she certainly isn’t afraid to speak up about it. This is the wrong woman to mess with.
“Celebrate yourself. Celebrate others.”
Taking to her Instagram and Twitter page, she shared a screenshot of a tweet she was mentioned in which said: “Got asked if I’d prefer @arielwinter1 or @ArianaGrande, lol, it wud DEFINITELY be @arielwinter1 curves are sexy sticks aren’t”.
Her response to said tweet has been retweeted over 26,000 times and liked by over 460,000 Instagram users.
here we go again…. Sure I’m not the only 1 feeling this way today!! in case you need a reminder, you’re beautiful pic.twitter.com/OPQIgzroEI
— Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) November 2, 2015
Modern Family actress Ariel Winter was quick to applaud Ariana for her comments and show her solidarity with the singer. She herself has been criticised about her body in the past, which inevitably led her to undergo breast reduction surgery at the age of just 17.
This is of course not the first time celebrities have been compared to one another and sadly it won’t be the last. Publications covering this very story, who would say they’re fully against any sort of body shaming, will still produce articles putting women up against each other. ‘Who wore it better’ pieces or stories focusing purely on weight gain/loss create this idea that these people who appear in magazine spreads or on our TV screen are just fair game. This happens with men as well, with unrealistic pressure put on guys to look like some kind of action hero, yet there is no denying the women get a worse deal.
Thank you @ArianaGrande ❤️ Women should empower one another. Celebrate each other- you’re all beautiful. https://t.co/FpmCmB0K5W
— Ariel Winter (@arielwinter1) November 2, 2015
They say fame comes with a price and there’s no denying many, if not all, celebrities rely on publicity, whether it’s good or bad… but does that really make it right? We see a magazine or newspaper commenting on someone’s weight, pointing out their flaws, questioning whether they’ve had work done or not and its only human nature to start to do the same. This then travels into social media and soon enough you’re openly discussing someone you’ve never met and it seems okay because they’re famous…
Ariel told Glamour.com back in August about the pressure she feels under to impress people online. She said:
“The Internet bullies are awful, I could post a photo where I feel good, and 500 people will comment about how fat I am, and that I am disgusting. On red carpets, I just said to myself, ‘You have to do your best to look confident and stand up tall, and make yourself look as good as you can in these photos,’ because everyone is going to see them.”
“You need a little brushing up on equality”
This hit back at body shamers by Ariana Grande came just days after she blasted a pair of radio DJs for sexist comments. Appearing at the Los Angeles radio station Power 106 to chat with Eric D-Lux and Justin Credible about her upcoming album and new single ‘Scream Queens’, the two DJs were more interested in discussing what a girl could live longer without – her phone, or makeup.
A quite clearly annoyed Ariana brushes off their questions, but after being asked the same question again replies, “Is this men assuming what girls are having trouble choosing between?!” To which both men laughed, “Yes!”
Their next question, after plain disbelief that Ariana could sit through a meal without looking at her phone, centred on her favourite emojis, because clearly an award winning 22 year old singer has nothing better to think about.
D-Luz and Credible had a particular interest in talking about the unicorn emoji, insisting this was something only women would ever like or use. This is the last straw for Ariana, as she suggests they both need to think about the kinds of things they’re saying.
“You need a little brushing up on equality over here… Who says the unicorn emoji isn’t for men, cmon!?”
“Alright, I change my mind, I don’t wanna hang out at Power 106 anymore.”
Blatant sexism within interviews for female stars has been highlighted recently, with stars like Kristen Stewart, Jesse Eisenberg, Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence all getting us talking about the issue. Remember that awkwardly brilliant Cara Delevingne interview…
Isn’t it really about time we treated female stars with the same levels of respect as their male counterparts? *insert tonnes of unicorn emojis*
