by Inda Lauryn

When Nicki Minaj went on Twitter to express her dissatisfaction with the VH1 Music Awards' snub of her video for "Anaconda" for a Video of the Year nod, she spoke of a criticism many Black artists have had with mainstream recognition of their work. Her criticism more specifically addressed Black women's struggle to be accepted on their artistic merit and their contributions to pop culture. The criticism, aimed directly at MTV, explained that if she were a different kind of artist, "Anaconda" would have been nominated for VOTY as well as best choreography and stated that videos that celebrate women with very thin bodies get VOTY nominations.

Feminism has become a hot topic again, and thank god for that. Many young female celebrities have lent their voices to the loosely defined cause. Emma Watson, recently spoke at a UN conference making a declarative statement that she too is a feminist and encouraging men to enter the fold. Taylor Swift, long opposed to using the ‘f’ word has finally “come out” as a feminist after, I suppose, looking up the definition. Then there is Lena Dunham.