14 DAY TRIAL // Fans of Ariana Grande were served a big dose of reality this weekend, as the 21-year-old singer appeared in the massive celebrity photo leak scandal as one of the victims exposed for the entire world to see. Much of that shock is due to the fact that Ariana has managed to keep a spotless public image as opposed to other pop stars.
Right after the photos came out, Ariana and her spokesperson claimed that the leaked photos were not depicting the singer, but were actually fake. She was not the only one to claim this, Victoria Justice and gymnast McKayla Maroney also claimed that the photos of them were not genuine.
Since then, McKayla has unwittingly confessed that the pictures were real when she made her lawyers tell the offending publishers who sought to distribute them that she was underage when the photos were taken and ask that they be immediately removed.
Now, Hollywoodlife is claiming that Ariana is not backing down in her claims, nor is she worried that this scandal is going to affect her image. The singer confronted the hacker who leaked the photos and said that “my little [expletive] is cuter,” pointing out the physical differences between the person in the photo and her.
One insider is now saying that “She thinks it’s hilarious! We have all been laughing at the absurdity of it. She literally hasn’t spent any real time thinking about it. She’s not really the naked picture type, she’s more the dress as a zombie type.”
Of course, for Ariana, this isn't the first intimate photo leak scandal, she's been involved in at least one more leak, and she's managed to come on top. However, this time, it really does look like the photos are real, which is casting a shadow over her ironclad claims that it's not her in the photos.
Other celebrities that have maintained that the leaked photos are fake, such as McKayla Maroney and Victoria Justice, have been blasted by their own fans on social media, for failing to admit that the photos are genuine and own up to them.
While an intimate photo leak scandal might not ruin your career, severe backlash from your own fans could have devastating effects for a person relying on public acceptance to get ahead in life. Plus, it's not wise to rattle a hacker who claims to have intimate photos of you and threatens to release more in the near future.