Cardi B is criticized for fat-shaming comment

Cardi B’s comment about her fans has opened up the discussion around body image within the Latino community. 

It started with the rapper saying on Instagram Live that she sold out of 3XL T-shirts for her upcoming album box set.

"So the box sets are completely sold out, especially because you fat **** clearly you guys are fat as ****, no Chick‑fil‑A for y'all." She later added, "Now, knowing that my fans is fat *** I can't even make fun of fat people no more. Don't call me fatphobic, y'all, 'cause everybody make fun of my BBL."

After the artist was criticized, she responded that it was just a joke and her fans know that.  

“It was an innocent joke,” Cardi B responded later to the criticism. “It’s not that serious.” 

But others felt that Cardi B’s comment highlighted an issue that is prevalent within the Latino community. 

“So they paid you, and you insulted them,” Nadia Simone, founder of Blactina Media, said. “Fat phobia in Latino and Caribbean communities isn’t just about little jokes. It has real dangers and consequences as it relates to mental health, physical well-being and cultural identity.” 

Simone said the issue is bigger than Cardi B, like how there is an industry devoted to selling teas and medication that profit from people’s insecurities to fit into eurocentric ideals that prove impossible for many who have a different body composition. Another one of the expectations, Simone said in another video, is that we must finish our plates and never waste food, but we must remain thin, which is a contradictory statement and message our communities continue to teach.