One Love Manchester And 7 Other Times Ariana Grande Was The Hero We All Needed

Kevin Mazur/One Love Manchester via Getty Images

On Sunday the world watched in awe as Ariana Grande took to the stage at the One Love Manchester concert, which the singer organised in the wake of the terror attack that killed 22 people on 22 May.

At just 23 years old, the singer defiantly sang her heart out, telling the crowd: “Thank you so much for coming together and being strong and unified.

“I think the kind of love and unity you are displaying is the medicine the world needs right now. So thank you for being just that.”

Her strength, professionalism and humanity was praised by many on Twitter, with some suggesting the singer could teach the US President a thing or two about compassion.

But this isn’t the first time Ariana has stolen our hearts. Here are seven other times she’s stood up for what she believes in (and become our hero in the process).

1. When she stood up to objectification.

Kevin Mazur via Getty Images

Last year Ariana tweeted to say she was out with her boyfriend Mac Miller when one of his fans started following them.

“I thought all of this was cute and exciting until he said: ‘Ariana is sexy as hell man I see you hitting that,'" she wrote.

"This might not seem like a big deal to some of you but I felt sick and objectified. I was also sitting right there when he said it… I’ve felt really quiet and hurt since that moment.

"Things like this happen all the time and are the kind of moments that contribute to women’s sense of fear and inadequacy.

“I am not a piece of meat that a man gets to [utilise] for his pleasure. I’m an adult human being in a relationship with a man who treats me with love and respect.”

She ended her tweet to tell her young female fans: "We are not objects or prizes. We are QUEENS.”

2. When she helped a fan struggling with self-acceptance.

When a fan messaged Ariana to ask for some advice on self-acceptance, the star shared the conversation with her followers to help others struggling with self-love.

"If you don't love you, you won't be able to accept love from anyone else," she said.

"It's a full time job, loving yourself is hard work, especially when there are many people out there who try to make you feel like you shouldn't."

3. When she responded to critics with kindness.

When Bette Midler reportedly said Ariana looked ‘ridiculous’ in her provocative videos, the young star took the moral high ground.

She tweeted that Bette had once been heralded as a “feminist who stood for women being able to do whatever the F they wanted without judgement”.

She accompanied her post with a photo of Bette in a bikini saying: “I want that sexy mermaid back!”

4. When she clapped back at sexist interview questions.

When two radio interviewers asked Ariana to choose between using her phone or makeup one last time, the singer answered: “Is this what you think girls have trouble choosing between? Is this men assuming that that’s what girls would have to choose between?"

The guys later said the unicorn emoji was just for girls, to which Ariana said: "You need a little brushing up on equality."

5. When she stood up for female empowerment.

PA Wire/PA Images

In 2015, Ariana tweeted to tell the world there's a difference between "being empowered and being a bitch".

"If a woman has a lot of sex she's a slut. If a man has sex he's a stud. A BOSSSSSS. A king," she said.

"I know y'all already know this but the double standard and misogyny are still ever present. I want the people reading this to know they are more than enough on their own."

6. When she hit back at body-shaming.

When someone tweeted to say they prefer Ariel Winter to Ariana because "curves are sexy sticks aren't", Ariana called out body-shaming.

"We live in a day and age where people make it impossible for women, men, anyone to embrace themselves exactly how they are," she said.

"Diversity is sexy. Loving yourself is sexy. You know what is NOT sexy? Misogyny, objectifying, labeling, comparing and body-shaming."

7. When she urged journalists to define women by their success.

After Selena Gomez was referred to as Justin Bieber's ex-girlfriend, Ariana called on journalists to define women by their success, not by past romances.

Without referring to Selena and Justin by name, Ariana said: "I’ll never be able to swallow the fact that people feel the need to attach a successful woman to a man when they say her name.

“I saw a headline - draw your own conclusions [on the subjects] because it’ll be so much drama that I don’t want - they called someone another someone’s ex and that pissed me off."

"This person has had so many great records in the last year and she hasn’t been dating him forever. Call her by her name!"

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