White Feminism

· – http://www.hilltopviewsonline.com/viewpoints/article_36c2d886-58ae-11e5-919c-9350dbb27929.html White Feminism

            A dispute that went down last year between Miley Cyrus and Nicki Minaj at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards is making headlines as a result of the issue of race within the music industry. White supremacy still continues to infiltrate today’s music industry:

            “For instance, white women are praised for celebrating their bodies and sexuality in           videos and songs, while black women are seen as indecent… White artists are often     shown favor in award shows and it is a good thing that Minaj is acknowledging the day- to-day oppression she experiences as a black female artist and works hard to overcome.”

Unfortunately, Cyrus failed to acknowledge this issue that Minaj was referencing, instead, requesting that she “do things with an open heart” and “come at things with love” in order for Cyrus to hear and respect her statement.  Further, Cyrus also claimed that Minaj was only referencing herself in her statements made, rather than the black artist community as a whole.  However, only Minaj can say who and what she was speaking for.  Thus, Cyrus’s comments only constituted to fuel the flame of Minaj as a “stereotypical ‘angry black woman.’” Another topic that was brought about as a result of this controversy was the discussion of feminism.  Cyrus’s response to Minaj’s previously made statements was particularly interesting due to the fact that Cyrus has been identified as a feminist icon.  Following this controversy however, it can be stated that Cyrus adheres to a form of feminism known as “white feminism,” which “limits her idea of equality only to what affects her own race.” Two examples provided in this argument were her “Free the Nipple” campaign, and cultural appropriation in the form of her dreadlocks.  On a more positive note, this feud was able to call attention to an issue that Minaj feels strongly about and hopes to bring to a more public light.  In winning the award for Best Hip-Hop music video, Minaj was able to beat out all the male artists in her category, which allowed her to achieve her goal of being viewed not as a ‘female rapper,’ but simply, rather, just a ‘rapper.’ To label Minaj as a female rapper would be to lower her skill by erasing her from the same level of competition with male rappers.  Therefore, her win proved to be a great stride for women within the genre.