Ariana Grande hits back at critics over objectification complaint

Ariana Grande has argued her sexy dress sense is "not an invitation for disrespect" after she was made to feel like a "piece of meat" during a recent fan encounter.

The Problem hitmaker took to Twitter early on Wednesday (28Dec16) to detail the offensive run-in with a male admirer, who approached the singer's rapper boyfriend Mac Miller during a night out to congratulate him on scoring Ariana as his girlfriend.

Recalling the conversation in a lengthy note online, the 23-year-old revealed the fan told Mac: "Ariana is sexy as hell man, I see you, I see you hitting that!!!"

His crass comment left Ariana fuming: "Hitting that...?" she wrote. "This may not seem like a big deal to some of you but I felt sick and objectified. I was also sitting right there when he said it."

She went on to insist she is "not a piece of meat that a man gets to utilize for his pleasure", declaring: "I'm an adult human being in a relationship with a man who treats me with love and respect."

Her Twitter post prompted criticism from other social media users, who accused Ariana of hypocrisy after flaunting her sexuality both onstage and off in her various fashion choices.

The backlash only angered Ariana further as she tried to educate detractors about the difference between embracing her sexuality and being sexualized in a series of follow-up tweets hours later.

"seeing a lot of 'but look how you portray yourself in videos and in your music! you're so sexual!'," she wrote.

"expressing sexuality in art is not an invitation for disrespect !!! just like wearing a short skirt is not asking for assault," she argued. "Women's choice. our bodies, our clothing, our music, our personalities..... sexy, flirty, fun. it is not. an open. invitation (sic).

Ariana continued, "You are literally saying that if we look a certain way, we are yours to take. But we are not !!! It's our right to express ourselves."

Mac has yet to publicly weigh in on the controversy.

The rapper began dating Ariana in August (16) and revealed they were "in love" in September (16).