Nicki Minaj comes under fire for her Elle interview where she said, "It makes me sad that women are having sex for money"

In the exclusive interview with Elle magazine, Nicki Minaj spoke about being single. She also spoke about women being modern-day prostitutes, sleeping with men for money, and she wondered if she has in some way contributed to that.

The 35-year-old rapper spoke candidly about how she's experiencing "more growth in the last six months" than in the last eight years.

She said: "It’s the first time in my life I’ve ever been single."

Revealing this is the very first relationship hiatus she's ever been on since being 15 years old, Nicki admits she had to learn to be alone.

She told the magazine:

As soon as I realized that I could actually live and breathe, and eat and sleep, and walk and talk without having a boyfriend, something clicked in me.

She continues:

Becoming single was one of the things that made me feel strong and powerful. The fact that I am a young woman who doesn’t need a man for money. I don’t need a man for a job. I’ve never had to f*ck for beats. I’ve never had to f*ck for a record deal. I don’t have those pressures. I get up when I want, shop when I want.

Speaking of dealing with the opposite sex, Nicki also revealed one of the messages of her new album is that it's "OK to keep your legs closed."

She then went on to share her thoughts about the moment she realized "how many girls were modern-day prostitutes."

She started with:

I don’t really know how to say that without being offensive.

She then continues:

Maybe I was naïve, but I didn’t realize how many girls were modern-day prostitutes.

Whether you’re a stripper, or whether you’re an Instagram girl—these girls are so beautiful and they have so much to offer. But I started finding out that you give them a couple thousand dollars, and you can have sex with them. I was like, Yikes.

It’s just sad that they don’t know their worth. It makes me sad as a woman. And it makes me sad that maybe I’ve contributed to that in some way.

Nicki goes on to say she doesn't want to "look down on these girls". She revealed she still wants women to be sexy, but with good values. And, most importantly, she doesn't want her fans to think she's one of those girls giving up the goods for money.

She said:

I’ve always felt like it. But in a lot of ways, I don’t know if I’m doing the same thing they’re doing, because I’m selling sex appeal. So I can’t look down on these girls. I may not be having sex with people, but I’m still selling sex appeal.

That’s true. But I just don’t know if girls who look up to me think that when I’m posting a sexy picture. I’m actually the antithesis of all of that. I’m more of, like, the snobby girl, like the ‘Uh, what’ type of girl. And I want girls to be like that. I’d rather you be called snobby or a bitch or conceited—I’d rather you be called that than easy, and a ho, and a slut.

But people were not impressed with Nicki's statement and they called her out for shaming women who are sex workers, strippers, and Instagram models. Some felt she was indirectly referring to rival Cardi B who was once a stripper.

See screenshots of some opinions below.