Entertainment

Ariana Rightly Called the Cops on a Fan

by Marenah Dobin

Ariana Grande is a diva. Sometimes the phrasing is a bit different, but a diva is what Grande has been called in many news articles recently. Personally, I love her and I refuse to believe the claims. I live in this idealistic world where everything Grande does is justified. I may be in the minority with that thought, but when it comes to a recent incident with the singer, it's hard to see her actions as diva behavior. Ariana Grande got the police involved after she received several gifts from a super fan. Did she over react? I don't think so.

According to TMZ, Grande received a 42.5 pound pumpkin, eight Yankee candles, a three-piece Kmart mirror set, a $200 anklet from Kay Jewelers, a rock from the White Mountains of New Hampshire (what does that even mean?), and an unspecified number of dog and cat calendars. Wow, how random. On the surface that all seems harmless enough. (Odd for sure, but harmless.) This dude just hit up a strip mall and a pumpkin patch to purchase the weirdest gifts ever. But it is actually extremely disturbing.

The man in question, Tim Normandin, had to somehow got a hold of Grande's contact information in order to send her these gifts. This shows that her safety is not so secure. If Normandin can find a way to send gifts to the singer, it is not far fetched that he himself could make his way to the pop singer. Anyone who is capable of packaging and sending a 42.5 pumpkin is a person who thinks outside the box, so I would not put any in-person stalker behavior past this dude. You never know what could happen and I would rather be "overreacting" before something bad could happen instead of feeling sorry or even hurt after a tragic incident.

Mike Coppola/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

Other incidents of celebrities dealing with stalkers and overzealous fans serves as evidence that Grande didn't take things too far by getting the police involved. Fellow pop star Taylor Swift got a restraining order against a fan who sent her a plethora of messages in which he professed his love for her. The man, Tim Sweet, called Swift his wife and claimed to never let anyone get between them including Secretary of State John Kerry. He said that he would follow her on her tour dates and sent her messages through Facebook. Sweet even contacted Swift's mom. This happened over several years, and now Tim Sweet is not allowed to contact Swift or her parents, and has to remain 100 yards away from them.

In another frightening event, a fan broke into a compound where Katy Perry was staying in Massachusetts. Police found him sitting on the couch just relaxing and reading a book. He claimed that he had a gift for the singer. What is with these people? Buying a gift does not make stalker behavior OK. The man was arrested and charged with breaking and entering.

Just because someone can be considered a "fan," it does not mean that they are not dangerous. It's well-known that singer Selena was shot and killed by her fan club president Yolanda Saldívar in 1995 when she was only 23 years old. It just goes to show that no matter how much someone claims to adore you, their obsession could possibly go to far and lead to tragedy.

This isn't to say that the man sending Grande gifts wants to or would ever cause harm, but Grande wasn't wrong to be cautious here, and getting the police involved was no excessive. According to TMZ, "[The site was told] cops warned Normandin to stop sending packages or he'd face criminal harassment charges, but he was undeterred." Guess we'll have to see if Normandin meets a similar fate to Swift's stalker.

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