# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Feminist media are praising singer Ariana Grande's new single, God Is a Woman, for valuing women for their sexuality. Not for their brains, intrinsic worth, or even their capacity to love. No, this song was about sex making women like gods.

Earlier this month, Grande released the her music video for God Is a Woman, which placed religion and sex side by side. As Grande teased the contents, an Elle magazine editor confirmed beforehand that the song was "more about taking agency in the bedroom" than a "feel-good Women's-March-y anthem." She was right. And, in response, women's outlets from Bustle to Glamour celebrated the "anthem worth worshipping."

In the video, God isn't portrayed as a woman: Grande is portrayed as God. The video, boasting more than 26 million views, opens with a galaxy revolving around Grande and, later, shows her sitting atop Earth while dipping her fingers suggestively into a hurricane. The scenes are rife with sexual imagery, especially when Grande dances beneath a giant pair of disembodied women's legs spread open.

Even the Bible makes an appearance. In the middle, Grande reads Ezekiel 25:17 with Madonna's voice, replacing "brothers" with "sisters": "And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my sisters. And you will know my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon you."

More religious scenery come into play when women in robes dance like a gospel choir around Grande. And, for the final scene, Grande replaces herself with God in Michelangelo's famed painting of the Creation of Adam. Where God should stretch out His arm towards Adam, there was an Eve.

This last scene was presumably one of Grande's favorites. In May, she donned a gown displaying Michelangelo's Last Judgement at the 2018 Met Gala on "Fashion and the Catholic Imagination." Grande admitted the dress was "a hint" of the video in a recent interview.

But instead of the men, as on her dress, there were women in her video. And in place of religion, there was sex. When one fan asked Grande about her song's messaging, she , "sex is empowering. it's the source of all life. p***y is a privilege."

Her song's lyrics agree.

"You, you love it how I move you / You love it how I touch you / My one, when all is said and done / You'll believe God is a woman," she sings in the chorus. In her verses, she infuses other religious-themed like "Baby, lay me down and let's pray."

And Grande stood by every word, she stressed, even when she anticipated criticism on Twitter.

I "of course understand it ... but it's art," she said in defense of the video. "[I]t's okay if not everybody understands everything i do. i'm grateful for the opportunity to be myself and inspire others to do that as well. I would rather do that than play it safe."

For her efforts, the feminist media applauded her.

"The newly-released clip is packed with symbolism, unusual imagery, and unapologetic sexuality," Bustle entertainment writer Alexis Rhiannon, "all of which combines into one unique package encouraging female empowerment."

"[I]t suggests that feminine energy is at the center of everything," she added, and it's a process "fans should count themselves lucky" to witness.

Likewise, Glamour's headline the "Incredible Manifesto for Empowering Female Sexuality." Music journalist Bonnie Stiernberg praised the "anthem worth worshiping" for "female sexuality, for knowing what you want and not being afraid to ask for it, for knowing your own worth, for recognizing that women can be powerful and spiritual and horny and whatever the hell else they want to be."

Cosmopolitan editorial fellow Jasmine Ting began her insisting that "'God is a Woman,' and her name is Ariana Grande!" "Ari has given us the greatest blessing of all: a glorious, super extra, out-of-this-world music video," she wrote.

The compliments kept coming. Teen Vogue writer Lauren Rearick complimented the "empowering video" with "plenty of vagina references." Elle similarly it "amazing."

Not one suggested Grande had mocked a religion that hundreds of millions practice worldwide. Here's the thing: religion agrees women are important and sexuality is powerful. The Church doesn't fight this - the Church teaches this.

As Pope Francis wrote in his apostolic exhortation, , "God himself created sexuality, which is a marvellous gift to his creatures." But, he added, "Sexuality is not a means of gratification or entertainment" either. Instead it is something much greater: "an interpersonal language wherein the other is taken seriously, in his or her sacred and inviolable dignity."

He didn't mean entertainment, as in Hollywood entertainment. But still, the video's messaging missed the mark. To suggest women's value can be reduced to their parts (think disembodied legs), is to minimize their greatness. Instead, every woman - including Grande - is a human person with inherent dignity and worth.

God is not a woman. But every woman is made in the image and likeness of God.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Feminist Media Worships Ariana Grande's 'God is a Woman'

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Feminist media are praising singer Ariana Grande's new single, God Is a Woman, for valuing women for their sexuality. Not for their brains, intrinsic worth, or even their capacity to love. No, this song was about sex making women like gods.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
God is a Woman: Ariana Grande taps into a long herstory of a female lord

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The singer’s new music video is far from the first example of the maker being imagined in non-masculine terms

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
"To my fellow goddesses who work their asses off every day to 'break the glass ceiling,' this is for you. I respect you and am endlessly inspired by you. Please continue to fuck it up, to be yourself unapologetically and always know how celebrated you are."
- Ariana Grande on Twitter, releasing the video for "God is a Woman"

Ariana Grande's song, "God Is a Woman," is, at its core, a song about sex-but in the music video released Friday, the pop star subverts cultural norms around sexuality and gender in a stunning display of woman-power. In a matter of only a few minutes, Grande celebrates sisterhood and declares women to be all-powerful forces of nature-all while rejecting slut-shaming in an unabashed celebration of female pleasure.

The music video opens with Grande dancing in the middle of a rotating galaxy, implying that she is the center of the universe and the ultimate giver of pleasure. In the next scene, Grande sits atop a large book as tiny men on the ground throw words like "fake," "slut" and "stupid," at her, but the insults merely bounce off of the musician's body as she sensually stares into the camera and declares: "I'm tellin' you the way I like it, how I want it." Grande is later shown dressed in a jewel-encrusted blue robe, standing among a crowd of women dressed in identical white uniforms. "When you try to come for me," she remarks, "I keep on flourishing."

The music video also features a multitude of images alluding to the concept of a female "Mother Earth"-Grande is seen mounted on top of the planet Earth as her fingers dance inside a swirling hurricane, surrounded by natural elements that blossom as she touches them and even taking on the form of a maternal she-wolf as men suckle on her "teats." These images reference, and even pay reverence to, the idea of women as the ultimate providers and creators.

The end scene, a re-creation of Michelangelo's "The Creation of Adam" featuring Grande, as God, surrounded by a diverse troupe of women and reaching out to Adam, depicted in the scene as a black woman, is the climax of such a narrative-and a delightful subversion of the centuries-old biblical subjugation of women that has laid the foundation for centuries of political and legal discrimination against them.

But the ultimate feminist flourish in the "God is a Woman" video comes towards the end-when Madonna recites a biblical passage from "Like a Prayer" while Grande, donning a cat-ear helmet and long gloves that say "POWER" on them, mouths along. "I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my sisters," Madonna declares. "And you will know my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon you."

Grande then engages in her most heavy-handed feminist reference: she launches an oversized gavel upwards, shattering a glass ceiling.

Grande, an outspoken feminist, is not the first person to reference God as a woman-but her own take on the phenomena has resulted in a catchy anthem for modern feminism that denounces patriarchy, celebrates female solidarity and revels in female sexuality.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
We Heart: Ariana Grande's Feminist Anthem "God is a Woman" - Ms. Magazine

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
"To my fellow goddesses who work their asses off every day to 'break the glass ceiling,' this is for you. I respect you and am endlessly inspired by you. Please continue to fuck it up, to be yourself unapologetically and always know how celebrated you are."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

# data[].attributes.body
-Your relationship to the topic: your thoughts, feelings, potential bias
- all are familiar with the song and video
-Source format/type: genre, intended audience
-audience is the general public, it is a newspaper article
-Source publisher: purpose, mission
- purpose is to inform
-The Guardian
- Left-centered bias
- Mixed credibility based on mediabiasfactcheck.com
-Source author: credentials, relationship to topic
- Author is Arwa Mahdawi
-columnist for guardian, has a "this week in patriarchy" column
-Sources referenced: citations, links to other sources
-some links to other content showing god as a woman
-Source content: language, tone, images
-not super formal language
-some images included of other depictions of god as a woman

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Ariana Grande's new release "God Is A Woman" is generating a kind of religious experience for her fans, many of whom took to social media to share their first thoughts.

It seems Arianators' prayers came true. The single, lifted from the forthcoming album Sweetener, came out a full week ahead of schedule. And its everything right now for her followers.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Ariana Grande Releases 'God Is A Woman': Fans React

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Ariana Grande's new release "God Is A Woman" is generating a kind of religious experience for her fans, many of whom took to social media to share their first thoughts. It seems Arianators' prayers came true. The single, lifted from the forthcoming album Sweetener, came out a full week ahead of schedule.

# data[].attributes.headline
Step 2: Contextualize the Source (10 mins)

# data[].attributes.subject
Step 2: Contextualize the Source (10 mins)

# data[].attributes.body
1.What contribution does this source make to the ongoing conversation about the topic?
-This source provides insight on  other people referring to god as a woman, including multiple sources that came before this song. Despite this becoming a hot topic of discussion due to Grande's platform, this is not the first time that someone has considered God to be a woman. This source shows us that although it is a controversial subject now, there was a time where people referred to god as a woman and a man.
2. How would you use this source in a paper?
I would use this source to show that Ariana Grande is not the first artist to depict god as a woman. I would look into the quotes the author used from religious leaders to show historical context.
3. Anything interesting or unique about this source?
-  The author, Arwa Mahdai, included multiple pop culture references to other non-male depictions of God that have been used in the past, as well as opens up the discussion to the history behind the male
4. Does this source meet the assignment’s source requirements? Yes- we need at lease 2 outside sources, one of which must be a scholarly article.

# data[].attributes.body
-Your relationship to the topic:  we are all women studies majors thus we have a pro-feminist stance on the topic
-Source format/type:  feminist Magazine
-Source publisher:  talk about the pro-feminist aspects of ariana's song god is a women
-Source author:  Carmiya Baskin , editorial intern and third-year Feminist studies major at UCSB
-Sources referenced: none
-Source content: semi formal

# data[].attributes.body
-Your relationship to the topic:
we are pro feminism and this article is definitely not
-Source format/type:
biased, Catholics
-Source publisher:
anti-feminist, against Ariana Grande's expression of sensualism/sexuality
-Source author:
Katie Yoder, conservative, writer
-Sources referenced:
includes links to interviews with Grande, includes links to lyrics, also links to other articles by the same author
-Source content:
passive aggressive, semi formal

# data[].attributes.body
-Your relationship to the topic: your thoughts, feelings, potential bias
-Source format/type: genre, intended audience
-Source publisher: purpose, mission
-Source author: credentials, relationship to topic
-Sources referenced: citations, links to other sources
-Source content: language, tone, images

# data[].attributes.body
-Your relationship to the topic:
Dependent on individual backgrounds and beliefs (ex: Christian, non-religious, etc.)
-Source format/type:
Scholarly peer reviewed, religious studies journal
-Source publisher:
Cambridge University - undercut the main motivations for traditionalism
-Source author:
Cambridge University Press author, analytic philosopher
-Sources referenced: yes
-Source content:
Scholarly tone, posing an argument

# data[].attributes.body
Relationship to the topic:
•the thoughts about the video from her fans was mainly positive
•the video god is a woman could offend some people (possibly religious people) (parents)
•the article has bias because the comments are mainly coming from her fans, but we as a group don’t have a bias
Source format/type:
•audience would be her fans
Source publisher:
•the purpose of this article would be to see how her fans are
reacting to the video
Source Author:
•the article comes from billboard
•the credentials of the article normally shouldn’t be used for research
Source References:
•there weren’t any links on the article
• however, there were the tweets from fans which could take a reader to twitter
Source Content:
•the language of the article from the fans was positive
•the tone and images were praising Ariana for her video

# data[].attributes.headline
Step 2: Contextualize the Source (10 mins)

# data[].attributes.subject
Step 2: Contextualize the Source (10 mins)

# data[].attributes.body
1.What contribution does this source make to the ongoing conversation about the topic?
Making a pop culture reference in and connecting it to feminism theory
2. How would you use this source in a paper?
In a paper, we believe this source can be a secondary source that could support an argument for pro-female sexuality
3. Anything interesting or unique about this source?
It is a feminist runned magazine so it gives their stance on the video based on feminist theory. it gives specific references of based on what was shown in the music video and compares
4. Does this source meet the assignment’s source requirements?
No, because it does not list any references

# data[].attributes.headline
Step 2: Contextualize the Source (10 mins)

# data[].attributes.subject
Step 2: Contextualize the Source (10 mins)

# data[].attributes.body
1.What contribution does this source make to the ongoing conversation about the topic?
gives a religious perspective on why some may disagree w/Ariana's lyrics
This source is attacking Ariana Grande, anti-feminist

2. How would you use this source in a paper?

Use as an example of negative reactions to the video and song

3. Anything interesting or unique about this source?

Against the idea of God being a woman

4. Does this source meet the assignment’s source requirements?

Technically

# data[].attributes.headline
Step 2: Contextualize the Source (10 mins)

# data[].attributes.subject
Step 2: Contextualize the Source (10 mins)

# data[].attributes.body
1.What contribution does this source make to the ongoing conversation about the topic?
Contributes Ariana Grande fans' reactions to her new song off her unreleased album. Perspective of social media is different.
2. How would you use this source in a paper?
Would not normally use this source in a paper since it is not very informative, could be used in reference to her popularity among her fans. It would have to be used along with scholarly sources and could be used as a brief reference point if anything.
3. Anything interesting or unique about this source?
Interesting and unique to use all Twitter social media responses,
4. Does this source meet the assignment’s source requirements?
Her music video and the song "god is a woman" could definitely relate to the pop culture aspect of feminist analysis in the media and possibly work as a cultural artifact. It is not scholarly or professional as a source, and is biased so would not  work for the assignment's source requirements.

# data[].attributes.headline
Step 2: Contextualize the Source (10 mins)

# data[].attributes.subject
Step 2: Contextualize the Source (10 mins)

# data[].attributes.body
1.What contribution does this source make to the ongoing conversation about the topic?
-yes, it could work with ariana grande "god is a woman", it is plausible to be either
2. How would you use this source in a paper?
-cite, our use their research to back up theory
3. Anything interesting or unique about this source?
-yes, the author says that it is just as crazy to assume that god is a man
4. Does this source meet the assignment’s source requirements?
-yes

# data[].attributes.body
1.The source makes a biased opinion on the topic as it comes from a catholic/conservative perspective that does not see the possibility of a woman being god.
I would use the source as 2.According to Katie Yoder from catholicvote.org in july of 2019 ... or direct quote.
3. the source is called catholicvote- they have a specific audience.