• About
  • Editorial Board
  • Advertise
  • Join Us
  • Archives
The Wellesley News -
  • News and Features
    • Students With Medically Restricted Diets Struggle to Eat On Campus
      Students With Medically Restricted Diets Struggle to Eat On Campus
    • Students find new ways to celebrate Diwali
      Students find new ways to celebrate Diwali
    • Changing COVID-19 regulations impact students’ mental health
      Changing COVID-19 regulations impact students’ mental health
    • News
      • News in Brief
      • Nation & World
      • President’s Corner
      • Senate Report
    • Features
      • Alumnae Spotlight
      • Eye on Science
      • Faculty Focus
      • LGBTQIA+ Column
  • Opinions
    • Wellesley, why can’t you meet our dietary needs?
      Wellesley, why can’t you meet our dietary needs?
    • The block system is a joke
      The block system is a joke
    • Spineless nonpartisanship: how the Girl Scouts convinced me they no longer care about girls
      Spineless nonpartisanship: how the Girl Scouts convinced me they no longer care about girls
    • Staff Editorial
    • Letters to the Editor
    • The Elephant in the Room
  • Arts
    • Music Performance Courses Adapt to an Altered Semester
      Music Performance Courses Adapt to an Altered Semester
    • Ben Wheatley’s adaptation of “Rebecca” fails to deliver compared to its classic counterpart
      Ben Wheatley’s adaptation of “Rebecca” fails to deliver compared to its classic counterpart
    • “Dash & Lily” Find Love, Stranded
      “Dash & Lily” Find Love, Stranded
    • Arts In The News
    • Reviews
    • Music Peek
  • Health and Wellness
    • No image
      Athletic impacts of Covid-19
    • No image
      A new kind of PE
    • No image
      Maintaining wellness as the cold sets in
    • Athlete of the Week
    • Boston Sports Update
    • The Vegan Digest
    • The SHE Corner
  • Miscellanea
    • No image
      Remote students experience existential crises; change class years in email signatures
    • President’s Column: The Butterfly Effect
      President’s Column: The Butterfly Effect
    • Your next on-campus romance isn’t going to work out
      Your next on-campus romance isn’t going to work out
    • The Artichoke
    • The Dose
    • The Olive Branch
    • Multimedia
      • Galleries
      • Infographics
      • Videos
By Deeksha Udupa ArtsSeptember 26, 2018

Ariana Grande didn’t kill Mac Miller, drugs did

Ariana Grande with ex Mac Miller, who remained a close friend after the split Photo Courtesy of Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

During the days following the unfortunate death of rapper Mac Miller, I found myself scrolling through in memoriam posts on both Instagram and Twitter. Fellow celebrities and fans alike went to social media to express their gratitude and sorrow, many mentioning how he changed the rap industry—with all of his albums debuting in the Billboard chart’s top five—and helped them through their darkest times. However, commentary from a number of fans followed a disturbing trend conveying a simple but strong sentiment: I blame Ariana.

Although both his family and authorities had already put out statements that Miller had overdosed on drugs, some fans still immediately attacked pop singer Ariana Grande, who dated the rapper from Aug. 2016 until May 2018. When Miller got into a car accident around the time of the breakup due to driving under the influence, fans were quick to blame Grande, forcing her to defend herself via social media. In a Twitter post, Grande explained how unfair it was that everyone expected her to “stay in a toxic relationship because he wrote an album” about her. In no way was it her job to act as his caretaker, yet Miller’s fans still expected her to do so.

After seeing how fans suspected her of being involved in Miller’s car accident, I shouldn’t have been surprised to see so many people blame Grande for the death of her ex-boyfriend. Yet, I was. She had already mentioned how unhealthy the relationship had been for her and explained that they were still best friends, so why did so many fans think it was okay to attack her when she was—like everyone else—grieving for a loved one?

Time and time again, we’ve seen women get attacked for the setbacks of their past or current lovers, regardless of their fame. This is in no way an isolated incident. When world-renowned chef and TV personality Anthony Bourdain committed suicide, his girlfriend, actress Asia Argento was the subject of “vicious cyberbullying and repulsive slander” by fans of the chef, according to the LA Times. A number of celebrities, ranging from Terry Crews to Olivia Munn, eventually chose to come out and voice their solidarity with the actress.

So why does this happen? It’s quite simple: when people don’t know where to place the blame, they see these women as easy targets. They forget that these women are human beings who are mourning their loved ones and see them simply as solutions. They cannot fathom why someone they have looked up to is no longer in the world, so they seek a scapegoat and spread hurtful sentiments through social media, no matter how absurd it actually is, and these women have to pay the price.

Grande, who has admitted to suffering from both PTSD and an anxiety disorder due to events in the past few years—including the May 2017 Manchester Arena bombing incident in May 2017 where a suicide bomber killed 22 other people during a Grande concert—has said that she will be taking time away from the public eye to heal. As a society, we have temporarily broken her. We have forgotten her humanity and used her like a punching bag.

Now, a trend has emerged. This trend of strong and independent women being blamed for the deaths and misfortunes of their lovers is yet another form of misogyny that needs to be rectified. Men have to be held accountable for their actions, even posthumously. Ariana Grande was not responsible for Mac Miller’s sobriety, and put her own mental health first by becoming less active in his life, and that is okay. Regardless of what anyone says, Ariana Grande in no way killed Mac Miller, a drug overdose did. We should not add insult to injury for Grande by blaming her.

Share on

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Google +
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
Previous article“Black Panther” actress Sope Aluko talks race, Hollywood and Wakanda
Next articleA (not so) simple favor

You may also like

Music Performance Courses Adapt to an Altered Semester

Ben Wheatley’s adaptation of “Rebecca” fails to deliver compared to its classic counterpart

“Dash & Lily” Find Love, Stranded

1 Comment

  • K says:
    September 27, 2018 at 11:58 AM

    This is written poorly about a relationship that was only viewed through alternate perspectives. I wish journalism were real. Especially when regarding important topics such as addiction.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Email Newsletter

Sign up to receive our weekly digest in your inbox

* indicates required

Top Articles

Sorry. No data so far.

Recent Tweets

Tweets by @Wellesley_News

The independent student newspaper of Wellesley College since 1901.

Sign up to receive our weekly digest in your inbox

* indicates required

  • About
  • Editorial Board
  • Advertise
  • Join Us
  • Archives
COPYRIGHT © 2021 THE WELLESLEY NEWS
Back to top