Cardi B’s first hit record, “Bodak Yellow” contained the iconic line, “got a bag and fixed my teeth.” The Bronx-born rapper has not turned back since, and over the course of her enormous career, she has transformed time and time again through motherhood, plastic surgery, and album cycles. Cardi has been popping out a lot more as she prepares for the release of her long-awaited sophomore album, and fans are starting to notice that her look is evolving yet again. However, some people think she’s beginning to look a lot like her rival, Nicki Minaj.
Cardi b after and before plastic surgery pic.twitter.com/ro60FpKN0n
— Gypsy (@AntyMerty) September 6, 2022
Cardi B has never been shy about her cosmetic work. Before breaking into the music industry, the former nightlife fixture rose to prominence in New York’s exotic dancer circuit and very quickly began getting work done to make herself more appealing in that market. This included illegal injections and implants. Cardi recalls growing up very slim and getting teased by boys in The Bronx. So the moment she got money she went out and began building her dream body. I felt super confident. I feel so vindicated,” Cardi told Mariah Carey in Interview Magazine last year about her initial work.
With her mainstream crossover came a new focus on her teeth, something she would get clowned for during her Love & Hip-Hop era. Cardi quickly remedied this situation, getting veneers to correct her grill. She also wasted no time getting her famous tattoo updated after years of it looking faded. The massive peacock on her side was touched up to look more vibrant and colorful, a clear standout in recent photoshoots and red carpet looks.
Understandably, the biggest changes in Cardi’s life came following motherhood. On July 10th, 2018, Cardi B welcomed her first child Kulture Kiari Cephus with fellow rapper Offset. After debuting her baby bump on Saturday Night Live and dropping her debut during pregnancy, Cardi B took time off to adjust to motherhood and get reacclimated with her body. She snatched back with a new figure following a mommy makeover. Cardi got a tummy tuck and breast augmentation to get back in pop star form for her single “WAP” with Megan Thee Stallion. Cardi admitted that pregnancy changed things and even surgery was not the one-stop fix everyone thinks. “I feel good, but then sometimes I feel like not, you know? [When] your skin is stretched out.”
BARBZ FROM THE CRADLE! proving (again) that she is nicki minaj’s biggest fan, cardi b gets new plastic surgery inspired by the rapper. despite efforts, the attempt failed. but there is a slight resemblance. #NickiMinaj #CardiB #barbz pic.twitter.com/irgetFV3LI
— MighelMinaj69 (@MighelMinaj69) September 10, 2022
Cardi B also admitted to having a nose job done in 2020 after a fan made a joke about her face always changing. Cardi said that weight gain helped the procedure settle finally and that she felt “snatched.” “Every week yall post the same comment, [it] is getting old. I post [photos] every week, so please tell me when I have the time to recover from every new face y’all claim I have every two days. It is getting old. just say I look good and go.”
Cardi B’s body would go through changes again during her second pregnancy. Wave Set Cephus was born in September 2021, and again, Cardi admitted to wanting work to help snatch her body back. “This stomach is giving tummy tuck,” she told her fans on live while hanging out backstage at an event. “Like, it’s not bad, but I just don’t like this extra little skin,” she explained. “I am a little heavier than usual, but I don’t like it; I want to get rid of it. I think Wavey did me wrong.” Cardi also tatted her face recently in honor of her son.
@iamcardib shows off her tattoo of her son's name and her daughter's name on IG live 🤗😎 pic.twitter.com/m3FXTIEeHv
— bwill (@skyballer77) September 10, 2022
When fans tried to criticize her for repeatedly wanting to get work done, she clapped back, saying, “I do whatever the f— I want to do with my body.” and defended herself by saying her job is 24/7 and she does not have the time to work out like other people.
In addition to a lot of her cosmetic work, wigs and make-up also contribute to Cardi’s ever-evolving look and could be to blame for recent comparisons to Nicki Minaj. Both women were recently on their IG lives rocking bangs and similar eye make-up, and fans could not help but notice how incredibly similar they look. They both have worked with the same make-up and hair teams, and it is no secret that Hollywood surgeons tend to give clients the same faces. Do you think Cardi and Nicki are starting to look alike or getting the same work done?
Fans are calling out Cardi B for trying to look like her idol Nicki Minaj after she shared videos of her new face via her instagram story. pic.twitter.com/HQGcPATtg2
— Cardi’s Ender Crave (@cardiendercrave) September 9, 2022
