‘Calling All Barbz’: Students Combine Love Of Nicki Minaj & Penn State With Viral Page
You know what inspires us? Fearlessness, drive, and an Instagram account dedicated to Penn State’s many Nicki Minaj fans.
Luckily, that’s exactly what four juniors at Penn State had in mind when creating @PSUBarbz on Instagram.
Inspired by a friend who runs a similar Nicki Minaj fan account at West Virginia University, the girls, who have asked to remain anonymous, decided to create their own for all the Nicki Minaj fans at Penn State.
“We have always been fans of Nicki. We love her,” the girls said. “She’s just iconic. Her music’s good, but beyond that, she has so many good quotes and she knows how to interact with her fans in a way that makes us love her.”
For those of you who don’t know, the name “Barbz” comes from Minaj referencing herself as a “Harajuku Barbie“ because she’s always seen wearing bright, over-the-top clothing. The name was shortened to “Barbz” by her fans, and they’ve been calling themselves that ever since.
The Instagram account features Minaj photoshopped at famous Penn State locations with relatable captions that encourage students to work hard because “Nicki hates lazy people,” as one account manager noted.
Creating the posts is a team effort. The girls find pictures of Minaj on her Instagram account and edit them with locations around Penn State’s campus.
“We look at the poses she’s in and try to see where they would match up on campus and what would be a good fit,” they said. “Once we have the pictures, we start brainstorming captions for them. We think of things like what Nicki could be doing, things she would say, things that are relevant to the day we’re posting them.”
PSU Barbz has amassed more than 1,400 followers since the account’s creation last week. With a growing community, the girls have received comments about hosting a PSU Barbz meetup on campus.
“We’re thinking about having everybody meet up at one location one day and just listen to Nicki, talk, and have a good time. Mostly, we’re hoping to spread the word of Nicki and get some new Penn State Barbz in the process.”
As for the future of the account, the girls plan on continuing to “spread the words of the queen” through their Instagram posts.
“We don’t know how the future will go because we don’t know how many PSU Barbz are out there,” they said. “Honestly, if we could just keep doing what we’re doing, that would be great. Just keep featuring more Barbs and keep getting people excited.”
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