Women Hating On Other Women: The 'Nicki Minaj Syndrome'

*rubs temples* Sigh. I really, really wasn't trying to give any of my time or rapidly declining attention span to this foolishness, but the devil is busy.

For the past year, we've been subjected to this paltry, ongoing feud between Cardi B and Nicki Minaj -- from watching them throw shade on IG, to shoes and fists at NY Fashion Week (well, that last part was just Cardi). And while this back-and-forth spilling of tea and displaying of receipts across social media has been quite entertaining, it's also quite sad and, quite frankly, beginning to work my last damn nerve.

Here we have two grown women publicly going at each other's necks about a bunch of b.s. that none of us actually care about (because we're just here for the petty), when really, all this is is yet another sad case of one woman hating on the other because she feels threatened.

We see it happen all the time between women in the workplace, various social settings, hell, even our own "friend" circles. For every boss chick that's out here shining and living her best life, there's AT LEAST one other chick somewhere throwin' shade. Those types of women -- the chicks that love to hate -- suffer from a disease called the Nicki Minaj Syndrome (NMS).

Main symptoms include:

  • Delusional sense of entitlement to a particular interest, skill or talent (in their eyes, they are the only person in the entire universe who can do what they do).

  • Grave incapacity to be genuinely happy for others.

  • Excessive comparison to others with similar tastes and interests.

  • Heightened tendency to point out the flaws and weaknesses in others (due to excessive comparison).

  • Severe constipation (due to the permanent stick up their a**).

I'll admit that I've suffered from NMS more than a few times in my life, and I've personally encountered other women who've suffered from it as well. It's easy to contract when you're living in a society where success is measured by likes, follows and, in Nicki's case, streams and downloads. But the good news is, it's curable. All you have to do is follow these steps:

  1. Log off and/or delete all of your social media accounts.

  2. Identify the parts of yourself you're unhappy with (because that's really what all of this is about).

  3. Focus on strengthening those areas through prayer, meditation, daily affirmations, self-care rituals, journaling, etc.

  4. Take time to self-reflect.

  5. Repeat indefinitely (and/or until you've found enough joy and peace within yourself to appreciate the joy and peace in others).

  6. Share this post with Nicki Minaj.