⁠”GUESS WHO?”—Givenchy teases new face, fans laugh: “Did we ever figure out who this was?

When French luxury fashion house Givenchy dropped a teaser in May 2019, social media and fans lit up. With a post reading:

“GUESS WHO? THE NEW FACE OF #GIVENCHY, REVEALED TOMORROW,” fans were quick to share their thoughts, but the guessing game wasn’t much of a challenge.

The preview showed a figure silhouetted with a high ponytail, which is Ariana Grande's characteristic style. The pop star's sleek style and sky-high ponytail made it clear to many that she was Givenchy's new face. To make fun of how obvious it was right away, one fan jokingly quote-retweeted the post with the message,

"did we ever figure out who this was?"

Although Givenchy attempted to keep things mysterious, fans knew better, and the fashion industry was aflutter with anticipation for the presentation. Everyone in 2019 (and now too, hopefully) knew that this was Grande's Givenchy moment.

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Guessing game gone wrong: Fans immediately recognize Ariana Grande in Givenchy’s latest tease

Fans couldn't resist a good meme (or hit tweet, in this case) moment, despite the overwhelming indications that suggested Ariana Grande would be Givenchy's new face. Clever jabs, faked perplexity, and amusing speculation emerged on social media. Not to be deceived by the ponytail silhouette, one fan tweeted,

“I thought the joke was that it’s obviously Ariana,”

perfectly capturing the collective realization that Givenchy wasn’t fooling anyone. The supposed mystery had quickly become a meme.

Some fans kept the joke alive by playfully guessing other celebrities. One tweet cheekily asked,

“Could it be Aretha Franklin?” while another sarcastically asked,

“Yes, it was Mariah,” said another, with a picture of Mariah Carey.

The sarcastic responses kept rolling in, with one fan hilariously tweeting,

“I FIGURED IT OUT IT’S MILEY,” commented another.

“I think it was Ice Spice.” another user joked.

Twitter users fed off the back-and-forth playful energy, turning what should have been a reveal into a battle of hit tweets and 'Who's comment is funnier?'.

Some admirers questioned whether Givenchy's teaser had a message, despite a flood of humorous replies from fans. One commenter questioned if the entire build-up had resulted in anything noteworthy, writing,

"I'm actually dead serious, like did anything ever happen?"

Despite the snark and jokes, one thing was clear: Ariana Grande's ponytail had evolved into more than simply her unique style; it was now a cultural icon (at least in 2019) in and of itself.

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The obvious teaser that led to an iconic reveal

Givenchy attempted to generate interest by posting a silhouette of the celebrity in question as part of their teaser for the brand's "mystery" new face in May 2019. Historically, the design company, which is renowned for its grace and sophisticated style, has selected famous people to serve as brand ambassadors.

For instance, during her Hollywood reign, Audrey Hepburn's style helped define a generation of elegance, making her associated with Givenchy. Fans were eager to speculate as to which significant figure would be the next to carry on this tradition when Givenchy alluded to its next celebrity representative. However, admirers quickly figured out the "mystery."

The long ponytail that fell down the figure's back made it quite evident that Ariana Grande was the new face of Givenchy, even though the silhouette in the picture may have obscured the face. With her signature enormous clothing and high hair, Ariana had long ago established herself as a cultural and fashion star in her own right. She was the ideal match for Givenchy's high-end fashion tastes because of her numerous accolades, number-one singles, and unique style.

But what started as a big announcement turned into more of a silly inside joke on Twitter and other socials among fans. The thought that anyone could have missed the clear clue in the teaser made many ticklish with laughter. The discussion moved from speculating about the identity to mocking how Grande's distinctive silhouette meant the entire campaign was "doomed" from the beginning. Givenchy tried to keep things mysterious, but the fashion industry understood right away from the teaser that this was Ariana Grande's Givenchy moment and that it couldn't be missed.