Nicki Minaj might not be the first person people think of when it comes to a role model for young women. Maybe it’s because of her lyrics or the way she dresses, but, on the contrary, she’s showing that women can be whoever and whatever they want to be.
Here’s five reasons why Nicki Minaj is one of the best – and definitely the most badass – female role models:
She encourages women to stay in school.
At each and every concert, she encourages people to further their education. While she is saying this to all of her fans, she aims this message at women in order to break the stigma that men should be the ones who attend college and work to support women. She believes that women can do absolutely whatever they want as long as they work toward their goals, and believes that staying in school is one of the first steps to achieving those goals. Nicki wholeheartedly promotes that women should have an education so they can be fully independent and support themselves. Talk about girl power!
She makes it known that absolutely no one “needs” a man.
No matter what women are doing, she wants them to feel that they have a “purpose outside any man.” She makes sure to advocate this belief at all of her concerts, as well. She wants women to believe that they are entirely capable without any assistance from a man, and that a woman’s happiness and self-worth are not dependent on men. As she says in her popular song, Truffle Butter, “I ain’t ever need a man to take care of me.”
She became wildly successful in a male-dominated industry.
The fact that one of the most influential and well-known rap artists of this decade is a female is incredible. This shows that, once again, women can do anything they put their minds to and work hard for. On the other hand, she recognizes the blatant sexism in the hip-hop industry and wants to put an end to it. She strives to bring attention to other talented female rappers and hip-hop artists that she feels do not receive the attention they deserve.
She is unapologetically herself.
She does not apologize for flaunting her sexuality; in fact, she wants women to stop shying away from their sexuality and embrace it. She does not apologize for her success because worked incredibly hard to be where she is. She does not apologize for her lyrics. Nicki Minaj truly does not apologize for or anything about herself, and she wants her fans to do the same. She promotes the idea that women should be whoever they want to be without shame, embarrassment, or fear.
She is not afraid to speak her mind.
Nicki Minaj is definitely not known for keeping her mouth shut. She speaks out about racism, support for the LGBT community, and, specifically, sexism. One of my favorite Nicki Minaj quotes on sexism is “when I’m assertive, I’m a b****. When a man is assertive, he’s a boss.” She is entirely unafraid to talk about and bring attention to societal issues that are impacting millions of people and wants her fans to do the same thing. She believes that change cannot occur if people remain quiet about the problems impacting the world.
So there you have it. How can anyone say that a women who values education, independence, and individuality is a negative role model? All hail Queen Nicki!