Despite her best (read: most naked) efforts this week, Nicki Minaj did not break the Internet.
But she did manage to break Eve’s heart just a little bit.
On Wednesday, the latest Paper Magazine cover went viral, causing nearly every male on the Internet to cross his legs awkwardly and squirm in his seat* as a result of Minaj posing topless.
(*Because he got an erection.)
Not merely topless, however.
Minaj is also on her knees in the same photo, tongue out, teasing that she’s about to provide some oral sex to… well… herself.
We can’t really do the set-up justice.
Click on the photo below to see it for yourself. (Yes, sorry, you must click to view it uncensored. We’re a family website, people!)
Minaj teased on the cover that she wanted to “Break the Internet” with her pictorial, just as Kim Kardashian did back when she posed seductively for Paper three years ago.
She failed to literally do so, of course.
And, according to Eve, she has also failed to provide a positive example for women around the world.
“I worked with Nicki, I got to know her on Barbershop… she’s a nice person, she’s an amazing rapper, and as a lyricist I respect her,” Eve said a new co-host on The Talk yesterday.
HOWEVER, she added:
“As a woman, from my point of view, personally, I would not be able to do that.”
Eve went on to generally reference the climate/culture these days – where sexual harassment accusations are flying all around Hollywood – as the reason why.
“I think in this climate, it’s not good. I think every artist has a right to express themselves however they want to express themselves and I respect that as well.
“For me personally, as I started coming up in the business, I started realizing that young girls were looking up to me and younger people were looking up to me, and that, not that you want to be a role model, but it becomes what you become, it is what you are.”
Eve continued:
“As I’ve gotten older … I’d just rather be a voice that’s uplifting… I can be a voice for those girls that might not have a voice, in a different way without showing myself off …
“For the Nicki fans, I love her, respect her. Go women in hip hop. It’s not my thing. I just don’t think it’s right. Personally. Period. That’s it.”
Eve is qualifying her comments a lot here.
And she’s saying some nice things about the artist.
But she’s basically bashing Minaj for being a bad role model, there’s no real way around that.
Meanwhile, fellow The Talk cohosts Sheryl Underwood and Sharon Osbourne echoed Eve’s statements and both said it should more about the music for Nicki.
“It’s about your music, not about your love of looking a certain way,” Osbourne said, adding:
“It’s great you’re a young woman, and you’re also a talented young woman. You don’t need to take it down to this level.”
Do you agree?
Ponder this question while you examine what folks on Twitter have said about Minaj’s cover:
