Star goes for the understated for a change, fans are pleasantly surprised

Mar 16, 2013 07:50 GMT  ·  By
Nicki Minaj is almost unrecognizable with more natural styling for Elle magazine
   Nicki Minaj is almost unrecognizable with more natural styling for Elle magazine

Nicki Minaj is known for her colorful outfits, outrageous wigs and elaborate, caked makeup. Not a single trace of all this is noticeable in the stunning photospread coming in the latest issue of Elle magazine.

The cover photo is also attached to this article: you can see that the Elle stylists gave the rapper and American Idol judge a real makeunder, stripping her of her funky costumes, makeup and wigs.

The difference was so shocking that Nicki herself had trouble believing this is how she looked if styled different.

In the accompanying interview, she calls it quite an “achievement.”

“When I saw myself with barely any makeup at, it was such a… like, I’m so, so attached to my pink lipstick, it’s hard. I feel that it’s become a part of me,” she says.

“To go in front of the camera, without pink lips or big ol’ crazy lashes – you know, nothing – I felt naked. It was scary! So this photo shoot was a real accomplishment in my eyes,” Nicki continues.

If you think about it, she’s right: Nicki is never photographed by the paparazzi on an off day (though she admits she has those too), so she’s never been seen before looking this… natural.

She explains in the same interview that she’s been bullied a lot when she was younger so she’s learned to build up all sorts of walls to protect her from being hurt again: a wild guess would be that her makeup and styling and, ultimately, her outlandish persona, is also a defense mechanism.

However, Nicki has come a long way from the insecure young woman she once was, as she reveals in the interview.

“My advice to women in general: Even if you’re doing a nine-to-five job, treat yourself like a boss. Not arrogant, but be sure of what you want – and don’t allow people to run anything for you without your knowledge,” she says.

“You want everyone to know, Okay, I can’t play games with her. I have to do right by this woman. That’s what it’s all about,” Nicki explains.