Ariana Grande and the Lasting Legacy of the Yoko Effect

A week has passed since Mac Miller, American rapper, singer, and record producer died of an apparent overdose, on Friday, September 7^th.  Mac Miller, whose real name is Malcom James McCormick, was openly public about his issues with addiction and substance abuse.

This past May, Miller was arrested on D.U.I and hit-and-run charges after crashing his Mercedes SUV into a power pole. This occurred three days after Miller and Ariana Grande, American singer and actress, ended their 2 year relationship. After the incident, Twitter blamed Grande for Miller’s Troubles. Grande responded  “I am not a babysitter or a mother and no woman should feel that they need to be. I have cared for [Miller] and tried to support his sobriety & prayed for his balance for years.”

While Miller fans and Twitter users continue to attack Grande for struggles Miller faced, Rolling Stone challenged that narrative, highlighting the lasting legacy of the “Yoko Effect”, the damaging myth that women are responsible for their male partner’s actions. This article titled “You Did This To Him”: Ariana Grande,Mac Miller and the Demonization of Women in Toxic Relationships, gives voice to Grande and other women in unhealthy relationships that are blamed for wrongdoing, misconduct, and suffering their partner faces, either during or following the end of romantic relationships.