Ariana Grande Accused of Blackface Again With Vogue Cover

Ariana Grande is on the cover of Vogue’s July issue, and fans just don’t know what to think about it. The 26-year-old musician, known for her lampshade dresses, high pony, and baby-doll-gone-bad style, sported a more natural look on the cover. Grande rocked her natural curl, very little makeup, and included her dog, Toulouse, sitting on her lap.

In her Vogue interview, Grande explains that the character she plays, (an “R-rated version of a Disney character,” as Pharrell Williams described her) is part of her protection…and it’s just fun. Grande explains, “I like having my funny character that I play that feels like this exaggerated version of myself. It protects me.” The cover shows a much different side of Grande, but so much so that people have begun criticizing her on social media for looking so unfamiliar--and are accusing her of blackface again.

AOL reports that one user commented on Vogue’s Instagram post of the cover, “Noooo, sorry this is not ok. Ari does not look like this at all.” Other comments included, “When did she become black?” and “Why is she brown?”

Of course, Ariana’s loyal fans have stepped up to fiercely defend her. One user wrote, “stop saying that she’s black now. she isn’t! it’s summer, she has a tan. stop hating on her and live your life.”

And seven months later, Ariana's controversial Vogue cover came into question again, after Pete Davidson's Netflix special Alive From New York debuted on Feb. 25, 2020. In the stand-up show, the ex-fiancé of Ari made jokes about what she said about him in her interview, calling her out for "spray painting herself brown."

For her part, Ariana has not responded to any of the cover backlash.