Critics Claim Cardi B Is 'Plain Fugly' While Fans Praise Her Look During Recent New York Night Out

Cardi B drew praise and personal insults online after celebrating her best friend's birthday at VShow NYC in New York on 3 October.

The reactions followed earlier criticism of her festival photographs and comparisons with Nicki Minaj's fashion choices. Fans praised clips from the birthday outing, while one detractor described the rapper as 'just plain fugly from top to bottom.'

Inside Cardi B's New York Look

The celebration took place during Secret Garden Saturdays at the venue. Videos from the evening circulated on social media, drawing attention to an outfit built around a fitted black mini dress.

Its open chest design was layered over a matching black bikini top. Cardi paired the dress with soft-glam makeup and several accessories, including stud earrings, stacked bracelets, a gold watch and a chunky choker with a cross pendant.

A cheetah-print Chanel flap bag added a patterned detail to the otherwise predominantly black ensemble. She paired the dress with towering Christian Louboutin sandals.

An ultra-long, poker-straight wig fell almost to the floor behind her. Similar hairstyles featured in the photographs Minaj fans circulated when comparing the two rappers, although those posts concerned other appearances.

Praise and Appearance Attacks Surround Cardi B

On X, commenters offered sharply different assessments of the same outing. In reactions quoted in the report, one admirer wrote, 'Finally sum goodness to look at,' while another commented, 'She's such a baddie every day and time.'

Alongside those messages, a commenter suggested Cardi was relying on a filter. The report offered no evidence to substantiate that suggestion, which appeared among personal remarks about her looks as clips of the celebration circulated.

The negative responses echoed criticism of photographs from the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Festival. Those images were described as seemingly unedited and attracted detractors who characterised her face as 'terrifying.'

Whether those photographs had been edited was not established. The comments about them concerned a separate appearance, preceding the birthday celebration and the latest round of reactions to her clothing and styling.

Nicki Minaj Comparisons Follow Cardi B

A separate argument centred on an Instagram carousel Cardi shared after Milan Fashion Week in late September. Members of Minaj's fanbase, known as the Barbz, accused her of borrowing visual elements associated with the other rapper.

One outfit featured a floral two-piece and a sleek wig that reached almost to her knees. The photographs also featured furry boots and coordinated pink luggage as she boarded a private jet.

'I'm crying this b-tch thinks she's 2017 Nicki,' a Minaj fan account wrote alongside a repost of the photographs. Cardi's supporters argued that the similarities were exaggerated.

Another comparison placed images of the two performers side by side. The Minaj photograph came from the Haider Ackermann Autumn/Winter 2017 show in Paris and featured an asymmetrical black Mugler jacket exposing one side of her chest, purple sunglasses and long, straight hair.

The Cardi image featured a fitted black mini dress with a plunging V-neckline and cutouts across one side of the bust. Oversized shield sunglasses and an ultra-long black wig completed that outfit.

Critics pointed to those details to support their comparisons. The accusations of copying remained the opinions of fan accounts discussing the performers' clothing, accessories and hairstyles.

Cardi has also recently shared clips featuring her daughters, offering followers a glimpse of her family life.