UPDATED: Minaj has delayed the release of “Anaconda” a week for unspecified reasons. The single will now come out Aug. 4. She also released a new photo of her in the same outfit as the single cover, this time from the front, surrounded by a yoga mat, weights, and work out ball. All in pink, natch.
So Nicki Minaj wants to know why models get no push back- so to speak-when they flash their asses in photo spreads and yet the world is all over her famous backside after she posts a shot of her “Anaconda” single cover that features her derriere.
After the photo went viral and threatened to break the internet, Minaj got some praise, but she also got her share of grief, so last night, she started posting photos of such things as the last Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover and asking why that”s “angelic”and yet her butt shot is “unacceptable.” She even threatened to post some more explicit photos, but decided better of it… or maybe she”ll just wait for that until the next time she”s desperate for some publicity.
Well, Nicki, you have every right to cop a squat and show off your formidable rear, but here”s a few reasons why you're causing such a stir and why you may want to think this through.
1. Your shot is aggressively in your face in a way the model shots are not. Add high heels and it would be a trademark stripper pose. Whether it”s the crouched position or the disappearing pink thong or the come hither look, your shot is sexualized in a way that the other shots are not. That's fine if you want to be known primarily for that asset as opposed to others, but maybe not such a smart move, if not.
2. The sad fact is that women can still not have it both ways. I”m not saying that it”s OK that we can”t, I”m just saying that we haven”t gotten to the place yet where a women who plasters her bare ass in a provocative pose all over the internet is then going to be taken completely seriously for her music. Some folks won”t see it as an issue, but given the comments flooding the internet, others do. You don't get to cry foul when people focus on your behind and your looks instead of your music if you're doing to flaunt your appearance this way. When Lil Kim showed up topless other than a pasty, we all knew it was because the music was secondary to the spectacle. Is that the message you want to send?
3. You seem to be working really hard to clean up your image: the funny wigs are gone, you”ve been dressing classier at awards shows. No one says you have to wear a nun”s habit (actually, you”ve already tried that and it didn”t go over so well), but it feels like you back slid here. We”re not saying that women can”t express all different facets of themselves, but there”s sexy and there”s tacky and this seems more of the latter.
4. Look at you. Everyone”s talking about you. Again. Good for you. But wouldn”t it be nice if they were talking about the music instead of your ass? With “Pills N' Potions,” people were talking about the song and how it showed a different side of you. But now, everyone's just talking about your butt. Maybe it doesn”t matter to you, but for someone who has pretended for the last 24 hours that those doesn”t care what people think, you”re spent a lot of time on Twitter fanning the flames.
What do you think? Is the photo too much?