“It’s not that serious”: Cardi B accused of fat-shaming fans after bigger merch sizes sell out first, then keeps doubling down
Cardi B is facing backlash online after making fatphobic remarks as a joke and then doubling down on it in subsequent videos.
The drama initially started when the rapper did an Instagram Live commenting on how quickly box sets of her album with 3XL t-shirts sold out.
"We really underestimated the box sets," she said. "The box sets are completely sold out, especially because you fat fucks, clearly you guys are fat as fuck. No Chick-fil-A for, y'all. Y'all, the 3X sold out in like 20 minutes."
She also joked that she couldn't make fun of fat people anymore now that she's realized how many of her fans are fat.
Cardi B called out on fatphobic jokes
Some people began to point out that Cardi's jokes weren't in good taste. This included influencer @samyra, who first expressed surprise over hearing Cardi B say what she did, and then got a little more educational, using it as an opportunity to point out how plus-size fans aren't often taken into proper consideration when artists are putting out merch.
Cardi B refuses to apologize, tells critics to "shut the f--- up"
Rather than apologizing for her comments being in poor taste, Cardi B pushed back several times, including leaving a comment on Samyra's video that read, "Girl people make fun of my bbl everyday ...I was talkin to my fans who was makin fun of the same thing ...Like it's not that serious."
She echoed that sentiment on Instagram, insisting it was an "innocent joke between me and my fans" and that people shouldn't be upset because she makes fun of everybody.
There's a difference, however, between making fun of individual people who are, ideally, in on the joke, vs exacerbating negativity and stereotypes that already permeate society about a whole group of people.
But even after Samyra made another video addressing the rapper, Cardi B once again doubled down on her position, insisting she wouldn't apologize for a joke and telling Samyra directly to "shut the fuck up."
Her final video on the topic came Monday morning, as she complained that getting on TikTok isn't even fun anymore because she's constantly getting attacked thanks to someone else inserting themselves into the conversation (if only her empathy extended far enough that she could see how close she is to grasping the reason Samyra and others were upset in the first place).
The rapper's complaints seem to revolve around the fact that her initial video, which included no apology and purely doubled down, "wasn't good enough" for the people frustrated with her remarks. She also echoed some of her fans' sentiments by insisting she would rather spend "5 to 6 hours" of her day learning about other injustices in the world rather than reading a book Samyra recommended about fatphobia.
"I'm not giving an apology and I'm not reading a book about fatphobia, bro," she said. "It's ridiculous."
Fans defend Cardi B, critics say she’s missing the point
While Cardi B insists she's being attacked for what she said, her comment sections have largely been filled with fans supporting her and agreeing that she shouldn't apologize for a joke.
"This generation just too soft," reads the top comment on her most recent TikTok.
Meanwhile, on Sunday, Samyra posted that her own comment section had become so flooded with hate after Cardi B repeatedly addressed her directly that she will be stepping back from social media for awhile.
On Reddit, onlookers were able to find a little more nuance in the whole situation, largely pointing out that even though Cardi B may not have had ill intentions, she's refusing to consider the ramifications of her words.
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