Ariana Grande and the Power of Pink

Typically when you envision a stereotypical female badass, you might think of a black leather jacket, some type of rock band t-shirt, and ripped jeans topped with a pair of Doc Martens. In the past few months, one of the biggest bad asses of pop culture has been Ariana Grande. The pop star is releasing her second album in six months and in just a few short weeks, she’s been dominating the Billboard charts. She’s been through the wringer and back, but has stepped out as one of the most prominent celebrities of 2019.  Despite her lyrics proclaiming that she’s become a savage in her latest single ‘7 Rings’, the pop star continues to bust out the high heels, tutus, high ponytails, and most importantly: PINK.

Grande continues to embrace her femininity, something that many female pop stars tend to push aside in order to be respected with an “I don’t care” persona. Despite those who have come before her, Grande chooses to not  push aside her girly characteristics that people often deem as “weak”, but to embrace them. Pink has been a theme in both of Grande’s newest videos. Additionally, in her “thank u, next” video, Grande personifies several iconic female characters that perfectly encapsulate the message she is trying to convey. The video includes the characters of Elle Woods of Legally Blonde, the pink loving fashionista that got accepted into Harvard Law (What? Like it’s hard?); Jenna Rink of 13 Going on 30, the thirty, flirty, and thriving woman that builds her own dream life; Torrance Shipman of Bring it On, the so-called “brainless” cheerleader that leads her team to Nationals and choreographs one of the most killer dance numbers you’ve ever seen; and finally, Regina George of Mean Girls, the badass that was the top of the social pyramid of high school and survived getting hit by bus. Each of these characters were stars of their own shows. They embraced the girly girl stereotypes and thrived off of them. Similarly, Grande doesn’t try to hide that yes, she is a woman and yes, she’s still a badass.

In recent months, Grande has given off the energy of a rapper, while still acting as feminine as she wants to. It’s fun to bust out a leather jacket and some Docs and give off a killer badass vibe, which even the girliest of girls love to do but it’s also refreshing to see an artist step out in high heels and a tutu and still radiate the same energy. Grande exhibits the true strength of a woman, while unapologetically acting like a woman. Some women might reject the idea of looking “feminine” because of the stigma of weakness set around it in society today. Grande however, embraces it. Her gloss is poppin’,  but she still won’t take any shit.

While of course the concept of feminism in this light is nothing new (as seen in the characters represented in the ‘thank u, next’ video), Grande is reiterating this idea with her new era, and we love her for it.