Ariana Grande Asks Her Fans To Stop ‘Grabbing’ And ‘Touching’
Ariana Grande is urging some of her fans to stop “grabbing” and “touching” people without their consent in a new message shared to her Instagram Stories account this week. Per a report from Cosmopolitan, the “Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored” singer posted the message on May 23 in which she revealed that some of her friends and her team had been touched by her fans without their consent.
Telling her 115 million Instagram followers that she was giving out a “friendly reminder,” Ariana told those closest to the stage at her concerts that they should not be putting their hands on the people in the pit.
“Grabbing/touching people without their consent is harassment,” she wrote. “Please do not put your hands on my photographers or friends or anyone you don’t know for that matter when you’re in the pit at my shows.”
Grande then added in her social media message that “it’s never okay or funny” to grab or touch others without their consent, before signing off her message by adding, “Thank you. (I can’t believe this has to be said…but unfortunately it happens often…thanks for listening.)”
Ariana is currently traveling the world and performing songs from her two most recent hit albums, Sweetener and thank you, next, for thousands of fans night after night as part of her huge “Sweetener Tour,” which sees her on the road across North American and Europe until mid-October.
The singer’s message about consent comes shortly after she paid tribute to the 22 victims who lost their lives after a terrorist bomber detonated a device at her show at Manchester Arena in Manchester, U.K., two years ago, injuring hundreds of people attending the musical event in the process.
As reported by People earlier this week, Ariana kept her tribute to her late fans simple but poignant. The star posted a bee emoji – which has become the symbol for the tragedy – to her Instagram Stories. Shortly after the incident in 2017, she and several members of her crew got the symbol tattooed onto their bodies.
Also paying tribute to those who lost their lives while attending the “Dangerous Woman Tour” was Ariana’s mom, Joan Grande.
“All my love Manchester, today and everyday… you are with me always, in my heart and in my mind,” she tweeted on the second anniversary of the tragedy. “To ALL of you who have suffered and still suffer from tremendous loss, trauma or devastating injury.. I love you, I send you a warm hug, today and forever.”
She then signed off the post on the social media site on May 22 with the hashtag “OneLove.”
Ariana’s mom Joan also shared a very touching photo of 22 small candles lit on top of a piano in what appeared to be her home, one for each of the victims who died. Each one also had a white heart placed underneath it.
“Our house may be empty this year, but our hearts are full of love,” she captioned the photo, adding that the candles were in honor of the 22 “beautiful angels we lost too soon.” Grande’s mom then hashtagged the post with #Manchester22.
