Nicki Minaj went off on a critic who accused her of having hypocritical views on female sexuality.
In her recent cover story for Elle magazine, the Queen rapper addressed one of her biggest concerns as an artist who sells sex appeal:
“I don’t really know how to say that without being offensive,” she told writer Devin Gordon. “Maybe I was naïve, but I didn’t realize how many girls were modern-day prostitutes. Whether you’re a stripper, or whether you’re an Instagram girl—these girls are so beautiful and they have so much to offer. But I started finding out that you give them a couple thousand dollars, and you can have sex with them […] It makes me sad as a woman. And it makes me sad that maybe I’ve contributed to that in some way.”
The rapper went on to admit that she has made a career out of selling a sexualized image.
“I don’t know if I’m doing the same thing they’re doing, because I’m selling sex appeal,” she explained. “So I can’t look down on these girls. I may not be having sex with people, but I’m still selling sex appeal […] I’m more of, like, the snobby girl, like the ‘Uh, what’ type of girl. And I want girls to be like that. I’d rather you be called snobby or a bitch or conceited—I’d rather you be called that than easy, and a ho, and a slut.”
The comments immediately resulted in backlash, with many people accusing Nicki of slut-shaming sex workers. One particular Twitter user blasted the rapper for attempting to “police” what women do with their bodies, and claimed her anti-promiscuity stance contradicted the themes of her music.
