I like Cardi B. I had no idea who she was because I don’t watch very much TV and have never seen one episode of Love and Hip Hop. But, one day sometime ago she came across my Explore Feed on Instagram. She made me laugh. I cannot even remember the very first video I saw but remember chuckling. Over time seeing her videos cross my feed made me laugh enough that I clicked the follow button. She’s not only funny, her personality is infectious. She is genuinely herself and is unapologetic about it. That’s what makes her likable.
She has never tried to hide her past, including the fact that she was a stripper. She is not ashamed about it. Our sexist society wants her to be ashamed. Our sexist society wants her to crawl into a hole and not shine because it wants to look down on her. The thing is, Cardi B won’t do that. She keeps being herself, out loud, for all to see. And last night, Cardi B accepted a marriage proposal from her boyfriend.
Of course, today there is the negative backlash, people calling her all sorts of names. It is strange that first people wanted to look down on her because she was a stripper. Now that she is engaged they still want to look down on her. It seems that no matter what a woman does, if she doesn’t do it the way society thinks she should she is looked at as less than worthy of happiness. It is also funny how a woman who was a stripper can cause such a commotion. Why? Is it because she chooses to live her life in the way she wants to without the approval of others? Or, is it because she refuses to let people look down on her for being a stripper? It is a little of both. Cardi B is living her life on her own terms and not caring what people think.
She doesn’t let sexism dictate who she is. She does not care about other’s judgement. She continues to grow into the person she sees herself as. While she may do things I would not do, I do not look down on her for that because she is being herself. That is why I like her. She is her own person. That’s what feminism and female empowerment are about, being who you choose to be.
Some people may be thinking, how can you be a feminist and support a woman who was a stripper? Stripping is part of the sexist misogynistic society we live in. However, I see it as one profession that makes men seem super simple. Men pay to see women naked. If you can’t see how ridiculous that is then you probably pay to see women naked. In fact, I have a whole chapter in my book entitled, “What you can learn from strippers and groupies,” because these women understand a lot about men and our society. Other women can learn from them, especially when it comes to understanding men.
Cardi B gets it. Live your life. Do not allow sexism to make you feel less worthy because you are not. Never be afraid to be who you are. Never let sexism dictate how far you can go.
All the best to you Cardi B! You are a winner!
~Kai
