Fashion week catfights fuel the media’s unfavorable portrayal of women

Cardi B and Nicki Minaj made headlines at the New York Fashion Week Harper’s Bazaar Icons party after Cardi threw a red heel at the “Chun-Li” singer’s head, claiming Minaj had insulted her child.

According to Idolator, Minaj took to Queen Radio to deny the accusations: “This woman is at the best stage in her career, and she’s out here throwing bottles and throwing shoes… I never had to f*** a DJ to play my songs.”

Since then, the internet has exploded into debate over which of the two icons was in the right.

While the controversy undoubtedly makes for profitable publicity, the two “rap queens” should be using their platforms for better purposes than New York Fashion Week catfights. The consequences of their animosity go beyond the meme-worthy lump on Cardi’s forehead.

The media first began portraying Cardi and Minaj as enemies when Cardi’s “Bodak Yellow” became a chart-topper in 2017, as society is wont to do with women in competing positions of power.

But instead of immediately shutting down the rumors, Cardi and Minaj let the media’s predictions come true, leaving a trail of snide remarks and liked Twitter fan comments for celebrity gossip sites to speculate on.

“Women tearing each other apart is a narrative pop culture loves to promote. Shade and side eye have replaced women being supportive of each other,” wrote Lisa Whittington-Hill in THIS magazine.

Constant female celebrity feud coverage weakens efforts in women’s equality as well. With outlets like Seventeen or Insider churning out glossy articles on 2017’s top 10 celebrity feuds (the majority of which are between women), or timelines of Taylor Swift and Kim Kardashian’s spat history, these influential women are depicted as dramatic and petty, instead of talented and hardworking.

When contrasted with coverage of male celebrities’ disputes, which seems to leave gossip outlet headlines far faster than similar news involving women, it is clear to see the “tearing each other down tone,” as Whittington-Hill puts it, is reserved for women.

In order to minimize such articles, women in entertainment like Cardi and Minaj need to stop adding fuel to the fire. A New York Fashion Week catfight only legitimizes unjust viewpoints, and cooperation between two of the rap industry’s largest female stars could have gone a long way in sending a message of solidarity.

The sooner prominent women make a point of supporting each other, and the sooner the media quits making headlines out of questionable VMA facial expressions, the better.