For over a week now, Ariana Grande has been posting teaser pictures and videos from the new music video for her top-charting song, “thank u, next”. And this past Friday, she finally dropped it. The video has broken YouTube viewing records and has basically broken the internet as well.
The video consisted of Ari posing as some of the most iconic and female-empowering characters of our time. She posed in scenes from Mean Girls, Bring It On, 13 Going On 30, and Legally Blonde. Needless to say, everyone on the internet freaked out.
Ari started the video off as Regina George. She had some of her besties, including co-star from Victorious, Liz Gillies, pose as her fellow plastics. Jonathan Bennett, who played Aaron Samuels in the movie, even made a cameo. Not only did she feature some of the most classic Mean Girls references, such as the “burn book” and wearing pink on Wednesdays, but she also had Kris Jenner pose as Regina’s mom (c’mon, Kris was born for this part).
The video then switched over to Bring It On, where Ari and Victorious co-star Matt Bennett recreated the classic bathroom scene – so adorable! Ari then danced around in her bedroom, just like cheer captain Torrance, and rocked the same red uniform from the movie as she did a couple sideline cheers.
The video had a quick 13 Going On 30 scene, where Ariana slowed down a bit and showed a more vulnerable and emotional side. Stars from the original film even took to social media to share their love of her recreation.
Finally, the video finished up with Ariana posing as the absolutely iconic Elle Woods. She matched Reese Witherspoon’s costumes to a T and showcased some of the fan-favorite scenes from the movie, such as the bend and snap, the girl-boss workout montage, and the classic scene where Elle relaxes in the middle of a football game.
The “thank u, next” video was one of the best music videos we’ve seen this year and we can only assume Ariana is going to top it sometime soon. We applaud Ari for always being so original and hard-working, and for being a strong and empowering female role model.