Cardi B Says Female Hip-Hop Artists Aren’t Included in #MeToo Movement

Cardi B has never been afraid to speak out and speak up about the things that matter to her. Not only is she completely unapologetic about who she is but she also isn’t afraid to put her foot down for the issues that matter. Now the Latina best new artist (thanks to the iHeartRadio Music Awards) is speaking out about how female hip-hop artists do not have the same freedom to share their own sexual harassment stories in today’s #MeToo world.

Recently, Jennifer Lopez opened up in Harper’s Bazaar about everything from why she isn’t planning to marry boyfriend Alex Rodriguez anytime soon to her own incident with a director telling her to “take off her shirt and show her boobs.” Salma Hayek has also spoken out against Harvey Weinstein, calling him “my monster” in a The New York Times Op-Ed last December. Despite these Latinas sharing their stories, Cardi B doesn’t think that women like herself have the same freedom.

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“A lot of video vixens have spoke about this and nobody gives a f—,” she said in a recent interview with Cosmopolitan, explaining why women in hip-hop music videos aren’t a part of the #MeToo movement. “When I was trying to be a vixen, people were like, ‘You want to be on the cover of this magazine?’ Then they pull their d—s out. I bet if one of these women stands up and talks about it, people are going to say, ‘So what? You’re a ho. It don’t matter.'”

Now with many dudes stepping in to offer their support to the plights that women have been experiencing for years, Cardi B is hesitant to applaud them. “These producers and directors they’re not woke, they’re scared.”

It’s difficult to acknowledge that not everyone is able to speak up and that, even worse, not everyone is included in the #MeToo movement because of the way that they look or what they represent. The famously curvy former stripper-turned-rapper has never been ashamed of her plastic surgery or her focus on her looks, but that shouldn’t be a means to exclude her from being able to talk about sexual harassment. Her story and the stories of other female hip-hop artists and musicians matter too.

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One of the things that Cardi B insists on doing is to continue to stand up for strippers. She originally resorted to stripping, before becoming a rap star with hits such as “Bodak Yellow”, in order to escape an abusive relationship. Eventually, she left that career thanks to her mom… but she’s never forgotten her days on the pole. In a culture where slut-shaming is rampant, it’s important that stories from ALL women, no matter their profession or background, be represented in the #MeToo movement. And Cardi B will continue to demand the respect for strippers that they deserve.

People say, ‘Why do you always got to say that you used to be a stripper? We get it.’ Because y’all don’t respect me because of it, and y’all going to respect these strippers from now on. Just because somebody was a stripper don’t mean they don’t have no brain.

It’s impressive to see Cardi B speak out on behalf of other artists and women like herself. And she makes a good point, too: Just because you look a certain way or shake your booty doesn’t mean that you can’t also be a victim of sexual assault or that your story is less valid. Here’s hoping that we learn this lesson once and for all.