Nicki Minaj's Paris Fashion Week Outfit

A woman has exposed her breast to a camera. I repeat: a woman has exposed her breast to a camera.

This exposed breast, albeit with a covered nipple, has enraged fellow humans, owners and non-owners of breasts alike. Onlookers near and far have stared at the freed breast in shock as it hung there in all its bare voluptuousness, hugged by Thierry Mugler; a mound of femininity begging to be regarded. Implied to be an inane display, the person attached to the breast is Onika Tanya Maraj, recognized popularly as Nicki Minaj.

Minaj claimed that, considering she were in Paris, and considering her actions echo that of post-modern art, she would base her outfit on Pablo Picasso's 'La Femme à l'éventail' (1907), translated in English to 'Lady with a Fan'. This piece, coincidentally, was created by Picasso during his 'African Period', which spanned from 1906 to 1909.

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During this period, Picasso's Cubism-rich paintings displayed his temporary obsession with African culture, in particular traditional African masks and African sculptures. The paintings he had completed within this time mainly consisted of women with bare breasts, his crux being 'Les Demoiselles D'Avignon' (1907):

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Other works are as follows:

'Nu aux bras levés' (1907)

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'Dryad' (1908)

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'Trois femmes' (1908)

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'Seated Woman (Meditation)' (1908)

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'Tête de femme' (1909)

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'Buste de femme' (1909)

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His exposure of the female breast during this period sparked some people to believe that Picasso was a madman, 'drinking turpentine and spitting fire'. Surely, though, Picasso cannot be seen as a scapegoat. Nor can the many other artists who too sought to display the wonder that is the female figure in the nude in their works:

'Two Girls in the Grass', Otto Mueller, 1919

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'Naked Maja', Francisco de Goya, 1800

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'Nude (Black and Gold)', Henri Matisse, 1908

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'Reclining Nude', Amadeo Modigliani, 1915

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'Vanus of Urbino', Titian, 1538

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The human body is a delight to regard. It is not obscene, nor is it smutty. It should not be considered a scandal to expose certain parts if one's consent is behind their motive. And what better time to regard the human body than at the Paris Fashion Week?

And have you people forgotten about the 'Free the Nipple!' movement? A movement encouraging equality, empowerment and freedom? Nicki has, in displaying her breast, also displayed that she has equal rights, and that she is empowered because she is free to express herself as she pleases. This is not to incite negative attention, rather to flaunt human expression and freedom. 

Thank you, Nicki, for freeing your breast. Thank you for not listening to societal expectations, and for not allowing yourself to be constrained. Thank you for embodying art, and for embodying change. Thank for your bold move, and for reminding us that it is okay to do as one pleases, without having to think of pleasing others, particularly mainstream media. And thank you for bringing Picasso's visual glory back into the spotlight, as well as art. Art is our savior. Without it, we would be plain, stretched canvases, hung nowhere and exclaiming nothing; making no statements, making no progress.

Ladies, gentlemen, stand in front of your mirrors in the nude and appreciate what you see. Then dress as you please, and attend an art gallery, and appreciate what you see. Jeff Koons would be a great start.

She may have dressed as 'Lady with a Fan', and if I am able to stand next to her, she will definitely too be deemed 'Lady with a Fan'.

FREE THE NIPPLE, AND FREE THE FREER OF THE NIPPLE!