After being accused of ripping off a classic Jean Paul Gaultier advertisement, a rep for the singer explains company officials actually approved of the reference in the video before it was released.
- Jul 20, 2018
AceShowbiz - Ariana Grande's new music video for God Is a Woman was intentionally made to pay homage to a classic Jean Paul Gaultier advertisement after running the idea by fashion house bosses.
The pop superstar came under fire from social media users last week, ends July 13, after viewers noted the striking similarities between the promo and an iconic Gaultier campaign from 1993.
The scenes in question featured a giant Ariana on her hands and knees, wearing a nude bodysuit with fake teats, as three men in all-black pretend to suckle from the nipples.
Some critics accused the singer of blatantly ripping off the fashion brand's 25-year-old billboards, which came out in the same year she was born and starred model Eve Salvail as the larger-than-life figure.
Fashion commentators behind the Instagram account Diet Prada, who regularly call out copycat artwork, highlighted the identical scenes by sharing side-by-side pictures in a recent post, and remarked, "Is God a woman? More importantly, could she be a Jean Paul Gaultier woman? @arianagrande is definitely making a strong case for it...or at least (the music video's director) @dave_meyers is a fan of this SS (Spring/Summer) 1993 ad campaign lol (laugh out loud)."
"Glad you called that little twerp out for plagiarism @diet_prada," commented one follower, while another ranted, "I'm tired off (sic) these young kids copying everything we did when times were great without credit. They act as if nothing ever existed before them".
Ariana has yet to speak out about the video criticisms, but her representative has since confirmed to the New York Post's Page Six that the image was purposefully recreated from the Gaultier ad, explaining company officials actually approved of the reference in the video before it was released.
