Over the weekend, Ciara took to social media to post what she seems to have thought would be an inspirational video message. The video is a sermon by Pastor John Gay addressing single women. 

"A wife isn't the presence of a ring, but the presence of your character," Pastor Gay says. "Too many women want to be married but you are walking in the spirit of girlfriend…when you carry yourself like a wife, a husband will find you."

Ciara simply adds her own caption of "#LevelUp," a gesture many people took as "self-righteous."

Ciara is married to Russell Wilson now, and the two can be seen baecationing hours after her initial post.

However, her happy marriage comes after calling off an engagement with her son's father, Future, back in 2014. A criticism many people made in her choice to post this video.

Not everyone thought Ciara was wrong. Many people were defending her, especially men (shocker).

Last night, after all the backlash, Ciara posted a statement explaining what she really meant. 

"I was once that girl wanted to be loved a certain way but was making the wrong choices," she began. "I found myself at my lowest moment. I was a single mom sitting at home, and I then realized that the perfect love I was looking for was how God loves me, how He wants me to be loved, and He was calling me to be as a mom and a woman. That's when I realized married or not married…I needed to love myself. #LevelUp"

Whether you agree with Ciara or not, there is an ever-important dialogue about the way women are told to act in preparation for marriage versus the way men are that needs to be had. 

What were your thoughts on Ciara's post and response? Share in the comments below.