Supplemental Post #5 - Ariana, Diva or Not?

“God, she is such a diva.” That was my thought during the whole duration of Madonna’s Truth or Dare (And I don’t think I’m alone in this). I mean I’ve seen numerous articles calling her an “awful person to work with” but to watch her interactions and listen to her demands in her documentary…god, she is pretty awful. Either stardom got to her or she has always been a diva—whatever it is, she is Madonna. And one recent celebrity who seems to be following that diva route is Ariana Grande. There have been multiple claims, suggesting Ariana has been rude to her fans, she’s difficult to deal with on sets, and she only allows people to photograph her from left side. Indeed, these are rumors, but judging from pictures, multiple witnesses, and her transformation from a Nickelodeon actress to a mega pop star, she, like Madonna, has fallen into that “diva nightmare” category.

Back in December, a report disclosed that Ariana demanded her staff to carry her, baby-style, on a regular basis because"she doesn't want her precious feet to hit the floor." A source claimed that they'd seen Ariana get toted around during her "Love Me Harder" video shoot and at rehearsals for the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show—saying that “Everyone was stunned. Ariana is such a diva.”

Another viral story was based on a father’s blog post which accused Ariana of being an icy diva around his teenage daughters who won a contest to meet the starlet. In the letter, Dan O’Connor described how MTV, VH1, and Pepsi arranged for his daughters, Jen and Kelly, to meet Grande in the days ahead of MTV’s Video Music Awards after Jen won a contest by creating artwork inspired by the singer. He wrote, “She never bothered to even ask anyone their name. She didn’t inquire as to who the contest winners were, as opposed to their guests, or what they created to win the right to meet her.”
 According to O’Connor, Jen took one selfie with Grande, and her sister Kelly also took a photo of Jen giving Ariana her contest-winning drawing of her and Iggy Azalea, which the organizers had said wouldn’t be allowed. Grande allegedly demanded the sisters delete their photos and she even turned to her security and ordered that they make sure the girls deleted those. The MTV reps alleged responded with, “Sometimes celebrities are like that,” when Ariana walked out.
I understand that these are all just rumors—we can’t guarantee what exactly happened at fan meet or why she has to be carried (Big Sean even said that she was being carried because “her feet were bleeding”—but honestly, that can’t explain the multiple occasions that she was photographed being carried, unless her feet are always bleeding).

I’m not here to shame Ariana (I actually enjoy some of her music) but I’m just shocked to see that these diva antics are so ridiculous yet prevalent in stardom. There have been rumors that Lea Michele acts like a diva on the Glee set (according to Kate Hudson), and even Kathy Griffin’s (a diva herself) alleged secret reason to leave Fashion Police was because of Giuliana Rancic’s diva-like behavior (according to insiders). I believe that stardom blows up these celebs' ego and thus, they feel like they are the “bigger person” wherever they go. They know that people around them have to please them and accommodate their demands. In a sense, they feel like they are invincible and should be treated like a queen or king—but this could lead to their downfall.