Ariana Grande’s long awaited album thank u, next was released on February 8, 2019, and with it came a music video to one of the album’s new songs, “break up with your girlfriend i’m bored.” The video was a seductive, dramatic, and unexpected (but not unwanted) surprise for fans everywhere, but it’s mixed messages are stirring troubling accusations for the pop star.
In the video, Ariana is seen at a fancy Hollywood party up in the hills, eyeing an attractive couple before being invited to join them on the dance floor. Grande’s behavior, the visuals, as well as the lyrics, lends viewers to believe that Ariana is after the guy, but in the last two seconds of the video, Ariana appears to go after the woman instead.
Some believe the video was a way of Ariana coming out as bisexual to her fans, while others have criticizing the video as “queer-baiting” and using hints at LGBTQ themes as a way of drawing attention. The most widely believed theme of the video, however, is that of self love.
Based on the song’s title, implied message, and dramatic visuals, I understand those who believed Ariana was going for the guy and that the ending plot twist could have been a potential coming out. Even if I disagree, those who offered this interpretation were not unkind towards the suggestion, so I find it easy to forgive and move on.
I was startled to hear people’s claim that Ariana was “queer-baiting” audiences, but I can’t take the accusation lightly. If she was, in fact, using her connection to the woman in the video as a ploy to appeal to audiences, then there would certainly be a huge issue for Ariana and perhaps the video would have received more explosive backlash than it already seems to be taking.
Most of the “queer-baiting” believers seem to be in understanding that queer baiting is not in fact what the video is about. The issue is the way in which Ariana went about portraying self-love, with visuals that perhaps took it a step too far in using gay themes as an illustration of self love that was interpreted as “shock value.”
The widely accepted view of the video is that the girl in the couple is in fact Ari herself, and the video is only an interesting interpretation of Ariana looking to fulfill self-love. Ariana’s message to “break up with your girlfriend / because i’m bored” is aimed at herself, telling her to break up with her boyfriend as a means to focus on loving herself.
Aside from “thank u next” and “7 rings,” which were released prior to the album drop as standout singles, the trap beat and R&B undertones of “break up with your girlfriend i’m bored” make it one of the strongest on the album, and perhaps one of Grande’s best. And as with anything in pop culture, the song’s meaning is up to individual interpretation. Regardless of whether or not everyone agrees with Ariana Grande’s expression of self-love, the song’s place on the Top Songs Chart is certainly well-earned and well-deserved.