Cardi B opens up about being sexually harassed in the early stages of her career

We're almost at a point where it's more surprising if a celebrity doesn't have a story about how they were sexually harassed in the early parts of their career. The good thing is, gross behavior in what's supposed to be a professional workplace environment isn't flying anymore. It's because so many women have come forward, animatedly insisting that these experiences, while normal, are not acceptable. Now, we can add Cardi B to the roster of women lending their voices to stop inappropriate behavior.
On an episode of "Untold Stories of Hip Hop," Cardi B revealed she was sexually harassed during a photo shoot. "I went to shoot for this magazine and the photographer, he was trying to get close to me like, 'Yeah, you want to get in this magazine?' Then he pulled his dick out. I was so fucking mad, and I was just like, 'This is crazy.' I was actually fucking bugging," the rapper said. The incident happened early in her career.
Cardi B immediately left the photoshoot, and reported it to the magazine. The magazine, however, did nothing. "You know what's crazy? I told the magazine owner and he just looked at me like, 'So? And?'" she revealed. Cardi B did not mention the name of the magazine or the photographer.
RELATED: Emma Watson launches hotline that provides women legal advice on workplace sexual harassment
Cardi B touched on the power dynamics that occur when you're just starting out. Some women are put in a position where they don't feel like they can say no. "When I see the #MeToo movement – there's girls from the hood I know that went through the same type of treatment. They make you feel like you got to do a certain type of thing. It happens every day."
Now, Cardi B doesn't hold back when it comes to sticking up for herself. The interviewer asked her if situations like this happen now that she's further along in her career. "Oh, hell no, I put you on blast on my Instagram," she replied.
How Did Cardi B Handle Her #Metoo Incident? | Untold Stories of Hip Hopyoutu.be
As if experiencing harassment wasn't bad enough, Cardi B was later accused of making up the story for attention. She denied it. This isn't the first time she's talked about what happened to her. "I BEEN TALK ABOUT THIS SHIT BEFORE I SPOKE TO ANGIE even on my mixtape," Cardi B said in a now deleted Instagram post. "Truth is this ain't nothing Far-fetch this shit still and stay happening." Do we really need to slam Cardi B for speaking out?
RELATED: Cardi B made a great point about people who accuse her of being a bad role model for young fans
Cardi B mentioned the incident in an interview last year, without getting into specifics. "A lot of video vixens have spoke about this and nobody gives a fuck," she told Cosmopolitan. "When I was trying to be a vixen, people were like, 'You want to be on the cover of this magazine?' Then they pull their dicks out. I bet if one of these women stands up and talks about it, people are going to say, 'So what? You're a ho. It don't matter.'" In the same interview, Cardi B revealed she doesn't think predatory men are behaving better because they're suddenly "woke." They're just scared.
Cardi B is some kind of hero for just walking out of the photoshoot. When you're still trying to get your footing, speaking out isn't always the easiest thing to do. Because more women are speaking out, hopefully one day sexual harassment will be the exception, and not the rule.
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."
This article originally appeared in May.