So, unless you've been living under a rock, you've probably heard about the big feud between Taylor Swift and Nicki Minaj regarding this year's VMA nominations. However, in case you haven't here is a brief summary of the situation. The VMA nominations were released on Tuesday and many people were shocked that Nicki Minaj's " Anaconda " wasn't nominated for the award Video of the Year. So, Nicki took to Twitter to vent:
She went on to say when "other" girls break records, like she did with "Anaconda," they get nominated. This caused Taylor Swift to jump in and share her opinion on the topic. Which led to a "feud" that involved other celebrities like Katy Perry, Kim Kardashian, and Ed Sheeran.
So now that you're all caught up, let's break this down. This "feud" is started over the nominations for the VMAs and extended to Feminism vs. Racism. And just like every fight there is a winner and a loser. So, who's right and who's wrong? Who's the real enemy?
Let's start with Taylor, was Nicki's tweet about her? Maybe, but not directly. Nicki Minaj was sharing with the world what she felt was wrong with the entertainment industry. Even if Taylor thought it was about her, this was not the time or place to make it about her. If Taylor felt that there was an issue, she should have contacted Nicki privately instead of publicly. I think Taylor's reasons for responding were mostly personal but I would like to give her the benefit of the doubt. Maybe she responded to Nicki because she felt Nicki was attacking the type of girl who is like Taylor (white, slim, etc.) and she wanted to put an end to it. I do think she went about it the wrong way though.
On the other hand, Nicki had every right to vent and share her opinion about the nomination snub. The points she made weren't wrong and women who don't fit the ideal image of perfection are kind of pushed to the back burner. But is this a racial issue? Is it a feminist issue? I think Nicki was aiming at both. Nicki is doing big things in the music industry and whether you love her or hate her, you know her name. I think what she was trying to accomplish with these tweets was awareness. She was trying to call out the industry and show us how unfair they are being toward women of color. I also think she was taking a stand for others and not for herself. Like Taylor Swift with Apple Music, I think Nicki was doing this for future artists so they won't get looked over. The VMAs can't go back and change the nominations but they can change things in the future. Although Nicki's choice of words were not the most polite, she was speaking off of emotion and it got people to pay attention...except they are paying attention to the wrong thing.
This has become about Taylor vs. Nicki. That's probably why you're reading this article. You want to know who won this fight. And you know what the answer is? No one. This isn't about Taylor and Nicki, this is about the entertainment industry and how they are basically screwing over great artists because they are focusing more on the way they look. Nicki is talented. Taylor is talented. They both deserve recognition and respect for their work. Nicki didn't tweet those things to start a war with Taylor Swift. She tweeted that because she wanted to see change occur in the world. But like always, we missed the point. So I'm going to bring it back the point Nicki was trying to make. We need treat everyone equally. It doesn't matter what race, gender, or body type you are. Everyone deserves to get recognized for their great work. So let's give Nicki the recognition she deserves and let's continue to do the same for everyone else.
