By Eva Rizk
Those who've seen her go from having cherry red hair to wearing cat ears have
watched Ariana Grande go through it all. Her long legs, glowing spray-tanned skin, 20-inch-long ponytail and big voice never go unnoticed by the public. Her fans first met her as an energetic and dimwitted character on a Nickelodeon show but now, at a mere 25 years of age, Ariana has turned herself into the female pop icon of the century.
I am not the biggest Ariana Grande fan in the world, but lately, with her hot new releases, I can't help but fall into her trap. But what makes it about her that so many people, including myself, end up creating an obsession over her – even if they don't like her music?
Her sense of style plays a big role in this. Fans love to mimic the way she dresses and the way she styles her hair. Ariana loves cat ears? Her fans love them too. She constantly wears oversized hoodies? Her fans go crazy searching the Internet for the perfect one. Her cute and simple outfits are affordable and can easily be recreated by anyone.
The aesthetic she has created around herself has influenced her career, but it would be nothing without her personality. Her fans love the way she talks, whether it be
the way she talks in interviews or tweeting "issa mood… issa vibe". She always comes
off as an honest and relatable person her fans can trust, which is not always the case with celebrities.
She also always seems to be her most honest self. Her problems with mental health have been no secret to the public. Especially since the suicide-bomb attack at her concert in Manchester, Ariana has used her voice to spread a message of love to the world. Because of her event "One Love Manchester", the British Red Cross received
more than £10 million in donations. Her love for the people reciprocates back to her.
We can be honest when we say that 2018 didn't look like the best year for Ariana. But
with the singles she's released these past weeks, there's no doubt that, with just a little time,
she knows how to turn a bad situation around. She's saying it's ok to put yourself first in
some situations and to never stop making yourself happy – even when your ex-
boyfriend dies and people you don't even know start to blame you for it because you're
engaged in a happy relationship with another guy who makes jokes for a living.
In a way, she's made herself the Taylor Swift of the late 2010s. And before you
get mad at me for insulting Her Majesty the Queen of Country and now, Pop, Taylor
Swift – just hear me out. I can make my argument in three simple points: 1. Her fans
have grown up with her through her whole career 2. She's gone through a series of
public relationships and breakups and has been bashed in any way possible by the
media 3. This year, Ariana is creating her own "Reputation" moment. The song titles in
her newest album hint at a new image she wants her fans to embody – a single and successful woman who isn't taking anyone's shit and can do whatever she wants in
2019.
Now, don't get me wrong, she is definitely not the first woman to praise these
qualities and shout them out to the world. Except there's something about her being
Ariana Grande that is making this big impact. She constantly keeps up her image for her
fans and knows the impact she creates as a role model and trendsetter. With 143M
Instagram followers, she's currently sitting at #3 of the most followed accounts. These
people have been following her since the very beginning of her career and she knows
how to take advantage of that.
When you look at the way she interacts with her fans, the wall that divides
celebrities from the rest of the world is ghostlike. It's impossible to ignore all the clickbait
headlines that are made about her and to miss out on her big music releases because
that's all people are talking about. It's no surprise her music video for her song "thank u, next" surpassed 100 million views, in just 24 hours. She took what she knows her fans
love: classic chick-flick comedies combined with her singing and made it a viral video
event because it's just what she does.
Whether or not you like her music, you can't ignore the fact that Ariana's career is
not going anywhere anytime soon. Stream "thank u, next" today.
