Pop culture moves so fast it’s basically a blur of neon and controversy. One minute you’re humming a catchy hook, and the next, you’re scrolling through a heated debate about a three-second clip in a music video. That’s exactly what happened with the Ariana Grande ball gag moment. If you blink, you’ll miss it, but for a certain corner of the internet, it became a symbol of a massive shift in her brand.
It wasn’t just a random prop.
When the 7 Rings music video dropped in 2019, it was a total vibe shift. We went from the "Sweetener" era—all pastel clouds and ethereal light—to this trap-heavy, pink-drenched flex about being incredibly wealthy and unbothered. The video is packed with "blink-and-you-miss-it" visuals. Among the diamond-encrusted champagne glasses and the pink trap house, there’s a brief shot involving a ball gag.
Honestly, the reaction was split. Half the fans didn’t even notice, while the other half started writing essays about what it meant for her "Good Girl" image.
The Context Behind the 7 Rings Visuals
To understand why a ball gag even showed up, you have to look at what Ariana was trying to do with 7 Rings. The song is essentially an anthem for her best friends. After a brutal year—the Manchester bombing, the loss of Mac Miller, and a very public breakup with Pete Davidson—she went to Tiffany’s with her "besties," got drunk on champagne, and bought them all matching rings.
The music video was meant to be a party.
It was stylized, edgy, and intentionally provocative. The inclusion of BDSM-adjacent imagery, like the Ariana Grande ball gag, was a way to lean into a more mature, "dangerous woman" aesthetic that she had been flirting with for years. It’s the visual version of the line: "I’d rather be tied up with calls and not strings," though many fans misheard it as "cuffs." Actually, the official lyrics say "calls," but the visual double entendre was clearly intended.
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Why the Prop Caused a Stir
Pop stars using kink-related imagery isn't new. Rihanna did it. Madonna practically invented it for the mainstream. But for Ariana, who many still associated with her Nickelodeon days or her high-pony "sweetheart" phase, it felt like a deliberate act of rebellion.
- Subversion of Innocence: Using a ball gag in a video filled with pink "girly" aesthetics creates a jarring contrast.
- The "7 Rings" Aesthetic: The video was criticized for being a "cultural appropriation bop," but the fashion choices were also a huge talking point.
- The Power Dynamic: In the context of the song, the imagery is about her being in control of her own pleasure and her own money.
It's kinda wild how one prop can spark so much conversation. But that’s the power of a well-placed visual.
Misconceptions About the Ball Gag
Let's clear some stuff up. There was a weird rumor circulating for a while that there was official "Ariana Grande ball gag" merchandise.
That is 100% false.
Ariana has had some... let's say interesting merch over the years. We’ve seen the "Sweetener" shirts that fans complained looked like they were printed in a basement. We’ve seen the Wicked mac and cheese (which Ari herself called "disturbing"). But a BDSM accessory? Not in the official store. Most of the items people saw online were fan-made or "bootleg" items from third-party sites like Redbubble or Etsy where people just slap her logo on anything.
The Evolution of the "Dangerous Woman"
The ball gag moment was just a tiny piece of a much larger puzzle. Ariana’s transition from a teen star to a woman who openly discusses her sexuality and power has been calculated and, for the most part, very successful.
By the time she reached the Positions era, this kind of imagery wasn't even shocking anymore. She had already set the stage with 7 Rings. You’ve got to give her credit; she knows how to use visuals to signal a change in "era" without saying a word.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Creators
If you’re looking at this from a branding or fan perspective, there are a few things to take away:
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- Visual Language Matters: A single prop can communicate more about a "new era" than a 10-minute interview.
- Verify the Merch: Before you get outraged (or excited) about a controversial product, check if it’s actually coming from the artist’s official team.
- Context is King: Most "scandalous" pop culture moments are actually just references to broader artistic themes, like the "tied up" lyric in this case.
Next time you see a controversial prop in a music video, look at the lyrics. Usually, the artist is giving you the key to the puzzle right there in the chorus. For Ariana, it was all about showing that she wasn't just a girl with a ponytail anymore—she was a woman with the bank account and the agency to do whatever she wanted, whether that was buying diamonds for her friends or throwing a ball gag into a high-budget music video for the aesthetic.
To get a better sense of how her style has shifted since then, you can look at her more recent work in Wicked, which is basically the polar opposite of the 7 Rings vibe. It’s all about that "Glinda" energy now—soft, pink (still pink!), and decidedly less "trap." It just goes to show that in the world of pop, nothing is permanent, and every accessory is just a costume for the current version of the story.
Check the official 7 Rings credits if you want to see the stylists who actually put these looks together; they’re the ones who really bridge the gap between "pop star" and "fashion icon."