Criticism
Was Her Criticism of Nicki Minaj’s Photos Really All About Eve?
by Danielle Butler November 17, 2017 3:44 PM
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Alberto E. Rodriguez, Getty Images
“Break the internet.”
That’s a now-popular declarative made notorious three years ago by PAPER Magazine’s Jean Paul Goude-shot cover, featuring a glazed and bare-bottomed Kim Kardashian. The term was once again revisited this week for the magazine’s November 2017 edition; this time featuring rapper Nicki Minaj.
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When the photos hit the web, surprisingly, nothing was broken.
The shamelessly ham-fisted “Minaj-a-trois” theme features a thrice-cloned Nicki engaging in risqué and sexually suggestive posturing with herself. A raven-haired Minaj is seen sitting spread eagle—wearing nothing but glittery boots, matching pasties, and high-waisted pink briefs; while another pink-haired Nicki in a latex cutout dress appears to grope 1st Nicki’s breast, and another platinum blonde Nicki clad in a black latex leotard, crouches on her knees between 1st Nicki’s legs and juts out her tongue. It’s over-the-top—borderline cartoonish—but not anymore scantily-clad than the kinds of pictures Nicki herself has shared on her IG.
Nicki Minaj attends the Haider Ackermann Fashion Show during 2017 Paris Fashion Week (Peter White, Getty Images)
The released images of Minaj were met with delight by her fans and moderate discussion from the larger aggregate of social media. But with the unrelenting onslaught of harrowing breaking news in the current media cycle, it’s increasingly difficult to “break the internet.” And in pop culture, nudity and sex are so standard that, even in upping the raunch ante, PAPER’s “Minaj-a-trois” hardly delivered a fracture. Nonetheless, a day later the cover made its predictable rounds on the morning talk show circuit. The Talk—one of the less popular derivatives of The View featuring pop culture and current events commentary from hosts Julie Chen, Sarah Gilbert, Sheryl Underwood, Sharon Osbourne and newest co-host, rapper/actress Eve—decided to address the cover.
Eve, offering the strongest tightrope-like condemnation of the imagery, dutifully tried to preempt her commentary with gracious compliments about Nicki as an artist and lyricist. “I respect Nicki as a lyricist, but as a woman from my point-of-view personally, I would not be able to do that, I think in this current climate… it is not good.” She then went on to ramble about her own growth and couched her critique in an old trope: celebs being role models; with women needing to be conscious of the young girls who are looking up to them. Met with approving hums, head nods and audience applause, Eve ends her hot take with “I just don’t think it’s right—personally.”
The video clip of Eve’s judgmental commentary was immediately met with wrath from Nicki’s more rabid online stan-base of “Barbz” on Twitter—and the proverbial “dragging” ensued. Eve’s mentions were bombarded with old images of the rapper baring her breasts in photoshoots, engaging in sex acts with two other women on stage while having worked as a stripper, and still shots of a leaked late 1990s sex tape with her then-boyfriend, producer Stevie J. In an attempt to highlight what they feel was her blatant hypocrisy, Nicki’s stan-base decided to combat Eve’s slut-shaming with…slut-shaming. And Eve took to her Twitter page to defend herself, asserting that her views today are a reflection of the woman she is now, while her past is not something she seems to view fondly.
Eve’s sentiments should come as no surprise to anyone who’s followed her career. In her 2010 appearance on VH1’s docu-series Behind The Music, Eve explained that her stint working as a stripper when she was 17 and in need of money was mired in depression and alcohol abuse. The song “Heaven Only Knows,” which appeared on her 1999 debut album Let There Be Eve…Ruff Ryder’s First Lady, further details her relationship
by Danielle Butler November 17, 2017 3:44 PM
Share Article on Facebook
Share Article on Twitter
Aa
Alberto E. Rodriguez, Getty Images
“Break the internet.”
That’s a now-popular declarative made notorious three years ago by PAPER Magazine’s Jean Paul Goude-shot cover, featuring a glazed and bare-bottomed Kim Kardashian. The term was once again revisited this week for the magazine’s November 2017 edition; this time featuring rapper Nicki Minaj.
Article continues after ad:
When the photos hit the web, surprisingly, nothing was broken.
The shamelessly ham-fisted “Minaj-a-trois” theme features a thrice-cloned Nicki engaging in risqué and sexually suggestive posturing with herself. A raven-haired Minaj is seen sitting spread eagle—wearing nothing but glittery boots, matching pasties, and high-waisted pink briefs; while another pink-haired Nicki in a latex cutout dress appears to grope 1st Nicki’s breast, and another platinum blonde Nicki clad in a black latex leotard, crouches on her knees between 1st Nicki’s legs and juts out her tongue. It’s over-the-top—borderline cartoonish—but not anymore scantily-clad than the kinds of pictures Nicki herself has shared on her IG.
Nicki Minaj attends the Haider Ackermann Fashion Show during 2017 Paris Fashion Week (Peter White, Getty Images)
The released images of Minaj were met with delight by her fans and moderate discussion from the larger aggregate of social media. But with the unrelenting onslaught of harrowing breaking news in the current media cycle, it’s increasingly difficult to “break the internet.” And in pop culture, nudity and sex are so standard that, even in upping the raunch ante, PAPER’s “Minaj-a-trois” hardly delivered a fracture. Nonetheless, a day later the cover made its predictable rounds on the morning talk show circuit. The Talk—one of the less popular derivatives of The View featuring pop culture and current events commentary from hosts Julie Chen, Sarah Gilbert, Sheryl Underwood, Sharon Osbourne and newest co-host, rapper/actress Eve—decided to address the cover.
Eve, offering the strongest tightrope-like condemnation of the imagery, dutifully tried to preempt her commentary with gracious compliments about Nicki as an artist and lyricist. “I respect Nicki as a lyricist, but as a woman from my point-of-view personally, I would not be able to do that, I think in this current climate… it is not good.” She then went on to ramble about her own growth and couched her critique in an old trope: celebs being role models; with women needing to be conscious of the young girls who are looking up to them. Met with approving hums, head nods and audience applause, Eve ends her hot take with “I just don’t think it’s right—personally.”
The video clip of Eve’s judgmental commentary was immediately met with wrath from Nicki’s more rabid online stan-base of “Barbz” on Twitter—and the proverbial “dragging” ensued. Eve’s mentions were bombarded with old images of the rapper baring her breasts in photoshoots, engaging in sex acts with two other women on stage while having worked as a stripper, and still shots of a leaked late 1990s sex tape with her then-boyfriend, producer Stevie J. In an attempt to highlight what they feel was her blatant hypocrisy, Nicki’s stan-base decided to combat Eve’s slut-shaming with…slut-shaming. And Eve took to her Twitter page to defend herself, asserting that her views today are a reflection of the woman she is now, while her past is not something she seems to view fondly.
Eve’s sentiments should come as no surprise to anyone who’s followed her career. In her 2010 appearance on VH1’s docu-series Behind The Music, Eve explained that her stint working as a stripper when she was 17 and in need of money was mired in depression and alcohol abuse. The song “Heaven Only Knows,” which appeared on her 1999 debut album Let There Be Eve…Ruff Ryder’s First Lady, further details her relationship
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