So, in case you haven't heard, Cardi B accidentally posted a nude selfie to her Instagram story recently, and there have been quite a few internet trolls that have taken to commenting on, and making fun of parts of her body — specifically her nipples. That is so beyond the limits of what's OK.
Let me be perfectly clear for a minute here: I'm not the biggest fan of Cardi B. I don't even like her music all that much, but no person, celebrity or not, deserves to have their naked body made fun of in front of the entire world. Quite frankly, no person deserves to have any part of their body, naked or not, made fun of in public or in private at all.
It's just not OK to body shame someone. It's 2020, and, while this year might have been a colossal mess, how we treat each other and how we talk about other people's bodies shouldn't be a part of that mess.
I've written about body positivity and the importance of embracing all of who you are before, but let me just reiterate a few key points. Every single body on this earth is absolutely freaking gorgeous in its own right, and no one, (not even internet trolls), gets to take that fact away. Even though Cardi took down that nude selfie, it was still her right to, because her body does not ever belong to anyone else but her. We all have a responsibility to be true to ourselves and to empower ourselves in whatever ways we see fit, and no one can ever take that away.
For some, that empowerment might come in covering up their bodies, and that's perfectly fine. For others, like what I'm guessing is the case for Cardi B, that empowerment might come from taking private nude selfies. That's perfectly fine and totally valid, as well. No one has the right to tell anyone else what is or is not empowering and uplifting, or what they "should" be doing to feel at home in their bodies.
And, as far as those internet trolls are concerned, they must clearly have nothing better to do with their lives than to sit back and make fun of someone else's body, when, nine times out of ten, they're probably more insecure about their own bodies than they're letting on. Like it's been said time and time again — small-minded people are the ones who make fun of other people. That includes making fun of other people's bodies, too.
It's time to let what happened to Cardi B serve as a lesson to all of us — it's never OK to make fun of someone else's body, naked or not. There is absolutely no shame in doing everything in your power to love the skin that you're in, and that even includes taking private nude selfies if you're so inclined. The bottom line is that her body belongs wholly to her, and, she gets every right on this planet to do with it exactly as she pleases. Her accidental nude selfie is so totally NOT an excuse to body shame her — just stop.
Feminism Redefined
