Ariana Grande fired back at the perceived double standard that exits between men and women in the media, and her essay – penned June 7th and posted to her social media accounts – also scored her some big returns.
According to Billboard , Ariana’s “Empowerment” essay helped return her to the Social 50 Chart which “ranks the most popular artists on YouTube, Vevo, Facebook, Twitter, SoundCloud, Wikipedia, MySpace and Instagram. The chart’s methodology blends weekly additions of friends/fans/followers along with artist page views, song plays and reactions as measured by music analytics company Next Big Sound.”
— Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) June 7, 2015
The essay was Ariana’s response to the constant questioning that focused solely on her dating life post-Big Sean breakup. It also came on the heels of persistent rumors that Grande hooked up with One Direction’s Niall Horan after she was seen leaving his house on June 3.
“If a woman is seen with a friend with a penis,” Grande wrote, “there is an immediate assumption of romance or sex and she is labeled!! If a man is seen with a woman…his status is elevated.”
Ariana also had choice words on the very definition of empowerment.
“Being ’empowered’ ….is not the same as being a “b***h”…
HAVING SOMETHING TO SAY… is not the same as HAVING A BAD ATTITUDE…
I … do not. belong. to anyone. but myself. and neither do you.”
Ariana Grande had tried previously to just focus on her tour and not her dating life following her breakup with Big Sean, however she’s found it difficult to avoid the topic with the media. The press had not only repeatedly focused their questions around her personal life, but even grilled her exes such as The Wanted’s Nathan Sykes looking for a scoop. This kind of prodding clearly became tiresome for Grande, who would rather the press just focus on her career.
“I have clearly not been having the boy questions in my interviews lately because I have come to the realization that I have SO. MUCH. MORE. to talk about. I’m currently making the best music I’ve ever made in my life, having the best time of my life on tour with some of the greatest people I’ve ever known, working my ass off every single day, performing/creating for my babes and getting the chance to meet and hug my babes all over the world every day.”
Not only did Ariana’s rant garner positive returns via Social 50 Chart, it also garnered praise from her fellow female artists as well. As reported by Inquistr , Taylor Swift dropped Grande a big thumbs up via her Twitter account in response to the essay.
@ArianaGrande I’m so proud of you, always. But especially today. “She will need her sisterhood.”
— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) June 7, 2015
And according to AOL , Selena Gomez also tweeted her support.
[Ariana Grande photo credit: Larry Busacca / Getty Images]