There is nothing quiteee like a good Nicki Minaj interview, and that is a declaration I will confidently stand by for the test of time. She’s honest without being overly-candid, insightful, and establishes the same presence on the page as she does the camera. Minaj will be gracing the November cover of Marie Claire Magazine, and was interviewed by writer and transgender activist Janet Mock. The two talked about everything from being a woman in a male dominated industry to working with Queen Bey, but what stood out to readers was Nicki’s valid thoughts on the double standard that women of color receive in the media.

“When Kim Kardashian's naked picture came out, [Sharon Osbourne] praised it, and my fans attacked her [Osborne] for being such a hypocrite”, Minaj told Mock. “So it wasn't trashy and raunchy when a white woman did it, but it was when a black woman did it? It's quite pathetic and sad, but that is my reality, and I've gotten accustomed to just shutting it down."

On The Talk in 2014, Osborne that the cover of Minaj's Anaconda looked cheap. “A cheap porno cover of a DVD. I love women’s bodies. I love nudity. But that is cheap," Osborne said. Minaj is right; women of color are held to different standards when they present themselves in a provocative or vulnerable way, and this is where intersectional feminism comes into play, folks! All women are faced with challenges and sexism under the patriarchy, but women of color continue to deal with struggles that are specific to their own experience.

Minaj continued to share fears that women of color face, including their partner leaving them for a white women if they become financially successful. “I’m so tired of black women feeling that when our men get rich, they're going to leave them for a woman of a different race,” Minaj said.

Minaj touched upon the Kanye West 2005 hit Gold Digger, specifically to the line, ‘When he get on, he’ll leave our ass for a white girl.” Minaj has now made a statement on Twitter stating that parts of this conversation were misinterpreted, including the part where she stated West’s lyrics and song were “not funny.”

"'Slams' a man/genius who gave me one of the biggest looks of my career? I said he wasn't kidding, he was speaking the TRUTH about [the] industry,” Minaj wrote on Monday. “I was saying he's the one who said it first. He doesn't apologize for his choices. He tells the truth about stuff ppl don't wanna hear!”

We could say the same thing about Minaj: unapologetically truthful, creating impact, and seeking change. It’s our job to listen and react. 

@nickiminaj via Instagram

by Kelsey Duchesne