With her first major hit coming out a little over a year ago, Cardi B is a fairly new artist. However, in this short period of time, she has skyrocketed to fame. Her hilarious sense of humor, personality, amazing successes, and great music all make it impossible not to be obsessed with her.
However, she has also gone through a fair bit of controversy. The press cast her in a negative light, and people came for her on social media in the past. People have called her out for saying comments or joking about sensitive topics. She also got called out quite a bit by staying with a cheating fiance.
We have all seen and admired celebrities only when they fit a certain stereotype of how role models and idols should be. But Cardi B is a whole new case as she is unabashedly unapologetic of her personality no matter what people say.
Even though parts of her past might be controversial, she is still a feminist and an inspiration in many ways. Keep reading to discover why her example is a great one for women to look to for motivation and empowerment.
A Little About Cardi B’s Life
Cardi B, born as Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar, was born and raised in The Bronx. She has a Dominican dad and Trinidadian mother. In her teens, she got fired from a deli and the manager told her she should apply to the strip club across the street.
Before she started her musical career, she was an internet celebrity. Then, she got on a reality television series, Love & Hip Hop: New York, that followed her going for her goals of being a musical artist. She then released a couple of mixtapes and signed with Atlantic Records in 2017.
She is the first female solo artist to win a grammy. And she is the only female rapper to top the Hot 100 three times. Plus, she is also the only female rapper to top the chart with 2 singles in 2 decades.
Here are some reasons why Cardi B is an amazing feminist icon:
She is Breaking Records
As mentioned above, Cardi B is the first female rapper to do a lot of things. Such a popular MC has not been seen since the 90’s with Lauren Hill. It’s important that Cardi B, as a female is so prominently adding her voice to the rap music canon.
Most of the time, rappers are all men and they treat women like sexual objects and with a lot of misogyny in their songs. Cardi B makes the rap genre better- especially for female rap lovers- by adding her voice to it.
Her lyrics unashamedly call for women to be equally vocal about their sexualities, wins, and their perspectives.
She is Unashamed of Her Past
Cardi B is one of the most successful women in the world. And many people judge her past, but she is not ashamed of it. She believes that everything that she did was a rung in the ladder to get to where she is.
Since the age of 16, Cardi B has been a member of the gang Bloods. When she turned 19, she turned to stripping to earn a living. While many people look down upon the strippers for their profession, Cardi B actually used it as an escape from her poverty and domestic violence. In fact, being a stripper was a positive experience for her.
“It really saved me from a lot of things. When I started stripping I went back to school.”
Women are often so shamed for the smallest things. And seeing Cardi B fully in her confidence and worth is so important for all women.
She Advocates for Gender Equality
Cardi B can do anything a man can do. And she knows it.
Especially when it comes to her career, she does not credit her stature to pure luck. She is not one of those women who will allow the media to give her credit to someone or something else because she knows she has done everything to deserve it.
“I know I’m a role model because I know there’s a lot of women like me,” she continued. “At the end of the day, I know I’m a bitch that made it through because I work my ass off, not because luck fell on my thighs.”
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It is so important that someone like her at the forefront of pop culture knows the kind of power she holds and shares it. It is simple. Both genders can and should be able to do the same things. And every time Cardi B breaks a glass ceiling, all the women in the world know that they can break some too.
When it comes to rapping, she definitely doesn’t hold back. And honestly why should she? Men are often lauded for rapping about sex, money, women, and whatnot. But when a woman does the same, they are labeled as “characterless” or “immoral.”
“I want to show people that you can do positive things, but you can also be yourself,” she said. “I’m a very sexual person. I love sex, and I like to rap about it. I like to do it. I admire my husband’s penis. I love pussy, and I love my body, and I want to be able to express that. I’m just a naughty girl, and I’m not hurting nobody because I love my pussy and want to rap about it.”
And this exact attitude of hers has often landed her in many controversies, although her fans have always had her back. Despite being a celebrity, she has never tried to changer herself to fit in. She is unpolished, but that is what attracts more people to her. She is unapologetically herself.
She is Genuine and Real
Many celebrities put on a facade for the public eye or won’t share certain things about themselves. Cardi B doesn’t care what people think. She will post conversation topics that she had with her friends or anything that’s on her mind. Her “no-filter” attitude has often polarized her fans.
When asked about her music career, here is what she had to say:
“When I first started rapping […] I liked certain songs from Khia and Trina, and they [were] fighting songs. I haven’t heard fighting songs for a very long time,” she said. “A lot of girls they can not afford red bottoms, a lot of girls they can not afford foreign cars […] but I know that every girl has beef with a girl […] I know that every bitch don’t like some bitch, and it’s like ‘that’s what I wanna rap about.'”
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Even today she struggles with the whole idea of being a role model because she has been in some messy controversies in the past.
“If you have the unpopular comment, then you’re in the wrong. So you gotta be careful with what comes out of your mouth.”
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