Artistry

Image

Minaj is known for her costumes, cosmetics and wigs

Minaj's figure has been noted by the media.[119]

She said that although she originally felt

obligated to mimic the provocative behavior of the "female rappers of [her] day", she

intended to subdue her sexuality because she "[wants] peopleespecially young girlsto

know that in life, nothing is going to be based on sex appeal. You've got to have something

else to go with that."[120][121]

The rapper has made autographing "boobs" part of her

movement to empower women.[122]

In a Guardian interview, Minaj said she competes with

male and female rappers: "That's why I say stuff like, 'Dick in your face', because I don't even

wanna refer to female genitalia any more ... I just feel I have bigger balls than the boys". In

"Moment 4 Life", she refers to herself as a "king" rather than a queen.[123]

Minaj has been called the "black Lady Gaga" because of her costumes and wigs but has

rejected the comparison,[124]

citing Alexander McQueen, Gianni Versace and Christian

Louboutin as her favorite designers.[125]

The Huffington Post described her style as "risk-

taking" and "far-out", with "bold sartorial choices";[126]

Yahoo! called her dress "colorful" and

"crazy", and "the fashion and music world would certainly be very quiet without Ms

Minaj".[127]

Minaj has been invited to perform at fashion events; Donatella Versace invited

her to perform with Prince for the introduction of a Versace collection for H&M, and she

performed "Super Bass" at the 2011 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.[128]

She was invited to

sit with Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour during New York Fashion Week to see

designers such as Oscar de la Renta and Carolina Herrera.[129]

Billboard listed Minaj the fourth-most-active musician on social media on its March 2011

Social 50 chart.[130]

On Twitter, she is the world's most-followed rapper.[131]

There, in public

appearances and interviews Minaj calls her fans "Barbs" collectively and her male

heterosexual and LGBT followers "boys" and "Ken Barbs" respectively[132]

(alluding to her

Barbie persona). She deleted her Twitter account for eight days in April 2012 after a dispute

with fans who leaked snippets from her then-unreleased album.[133]

Minaj lost about nine

million of her 11 million followers at the time.[134]

In 2013 Minaj introduced a more "natural"

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look, including less-colorful makeup and wigs, during later episodes of American Idol to be

taken more seriously.[135][136]

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