Ariana Grande Is Tackling Sexism, One Emoji At A Time

Ariana Grande has a problem, and it's casual sexism. During a recent interview with L.A. radio station Power 106, the singer called out DJs Justin Credible and Eric D-Lux for posing some dumb, sexist questions. The guys asked Grande which she would choose if she could only use makeup or her cellphone one last time. (Yes, that is a question they actually asked.) Grande shot back with the same gut reaction any woman would have hearing that question: "Is this what you think girls have trouble choosing between? Is this men assuming that that’s what girls would have to choose between?" Grande went on to say she can go without her phone for hours at a time, which the DJs commended — and suggested other women emulate. "Ladies, learn!" Right, because only women are attached to their phones. The singer retorted, "Boys learn! Boys and girls, we can all learn."

When the conversation turned to the topic of emoji, things got pretty heated for, well, a conversation about emoji. The guys asked the "Focus" singer her favorites from the new batch of updates. She rattled off a bunch (champagne bottle, yes!) and added, "The unicorn's great obviously, of course." But it's only for girls, according to the DJs. Grande insisted that "boys, many boys use the unicorn emoji... Who says the unicorn emoji isn't for men? Come on!" She didn't let them off the hook there, though, adding, "You need a little brushing up on equality over here." Yes, somebody please send these guys a gender-equality 101 primer, stat. Or at least a guide on how to conduct non-sexist interviews. Later in the segment, Justin and Eric redeemed themselves ever so slightly by asking a substantive question: What does the pop star want to change in the world? She answered: "I think judgement in general. Intolerance, meanness, double standards, misogyny, racism, sexism — all that shit... That’s what we need to focus on. We have work to do." She added, "And we'll start with you." Amen.