Entertainment

Nicki Minaj: Monster Turned Princess

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Nicki Minaj may look less rough (ruff- like a dungeon dragon!), trading in her cotton candy wigs and electric pink lipstick for a more traditional look, but just because she’s toned down, does not mean she can’t still turn up! She’s already taken the world by storm, establishing herself as a wildly successful songwriter, rapper, and television star, and business woman, with a popular fragrance and having the #1 Moscato in the country.

More iconic then her brand, has been Nicki’s eclectic style and ability to push all creative boundaries, defying all expectations. In addition to her amazing talent, Nicki managed to impress audiences and capture our attention with her outrageous style, mesmerizing us with her rotating wardrobe of costumes, but most people don’t know that she also maintained a more natural, toned down look in the early stages of her career.

Nicki Minaj Toned Down

“Before my first album, I used to have a natural look”, said Nicki in interviews with E! News and MTV News “Only my really underground followers knew that side of me. And then I think mainstream only knew the wigs. So I always thought it would come full circle eventually. {…} I made that conscious effort to tone it down and to try new things, and when I started seeing what my hair looked like, I just fell in love. I was just like, ‘oh my gosh where has this been all my life?’ Because even my fans went crazy, I feel like the whole world went crazy. It felt like I took off this mask — it didn’t feel like that to me — but to the world it’s almost like, ‘oh now we see the real her.’ It was weird.”

Recently, she has added actress to her already impressive and diverse resume, starring as Lydia in the comedy The Other Woman—alongside Cameron Diaz, Kate Upton, and Leslie Mann. But don’t let the acting roles, neutral tones and Alexander McQueen fool you. Just because Nicki is embracing a new, more high fashion look, doesn’t mean she’s sacrificing the raw energy we’ve all come to admire her for.

When asked in an interview to describe the fundamental essence of her personal style in relation to her transition to a more classic look, her stylist team, Jerod McClairn and Nonja McKenzie, claim, “Nicki is sexy. She is bold. She is courageous. She has a certain strength in whatever it is that she does […] but she also has a softness and femininity that I think is coming out with this look […] she’s at a point where she’s tapping into her strength as a woman because she’s strong enough and secure enough with who she is to reveal her more vulnerable, softer side.”

For the first time, fans are getting a glimpse of what’s beneath all the pomp and fanfare, to see the real Onika Tanya Maraj. While I’m sure we haven’t seen the last of Nicki Minaj’s quirky side, it’s refreshing to see her stripped down to her natural elegance. This more then just a change in dress, this transition is a reflection of Nicki’ s professional growth and creative evolution into an even more well rounded multi dimensional artist.

Tell us, what do you think of Nicki’s new look?