Cardi B Calls out Racist Response to Her Birkin Bag Collection: ‘Y’all Don’t Do This to White Celebrities’

Cardi B has clapped back at her haters following racist remarks sent her way after sharing her Hermès Birkin handbag collection. The luxury status symbol, which the rapper said she had bought four off, drew comments from people wondering if she could get a bag from them, suggesting she would “deprecate” the bags’ value. Always quick to fire back, Cardi B defended herself on Tuesday in an Instagram video. In it, the “Bodak Yellow” rapper questioned why it’s always female rappers who are getting asked this question.

“Y’all don’t do this to these white celebrities,” she asked subsequently mentioning how women of color are often questioned when they wear designer bags, adding how she often hears from people “is it fake” and “she’s a scammer.” In Cardi B fashion, she wanted to let everyone know that this line of thinking needs to end, “There’s a lot of boss-a— b—es out here.” While she stood up for the women who can afford the luxury items, she did remind everyone that money doesn’t buy fashion or an identity, “Don’t compare yourself to nobody on the internet.”

While she took offense to the question, what really set her off was the belief that she would actually be devaluing the luxury company. That’s when Cardi B began to list off companies she’s worked with, items she’s mentioned in songs, and how every time she is involved with something like that, the company sees a spike in sales.

“We add value because in hip-hop when we mention brands in hip-hop, they s— go up,” she said.One example she brought up was in “I Like It,” she dropped Balenciaga in the song and then the sales there went up and, as she said in her video, “That’s why they worked with me this year.”

Her husband, Offset, also stepped out to defend his wife and other women who have been questioned by this line of thinking. “Black people having access to luxury shouldn’t be a debate,” he wrote in an Instagram post. He agreed with Cardi B that hip hop is a trend-setter and does not devalue any item or company.