Listen Live
Walker Funeral Home Black Business Spotlight
100.3 Featured Video
CLOSE
Saturday Night Live - Season 46

Source: NBC / Getty

As a Black woman, you should have a full understanding of how difficult it can be to maneuver in today’s society. Use Megan thee Stallion for example. Following the shooting incident with rumored ex-fling Tory Lanez, she’s had to deal with her male counterparts poking fun at the situation, being publicly gaslighted by Tory himself, having to defend herself and explain that nothing she did or said warranted her being shot in the foot. All of which, while trying to heal from a situation that publicly broke her. Essentially she is retraumatized every time she has to defend herself against people who choose to victim blame. In the midst of her processing journey, Megan decided to use her platform as a way to speak up against the extremely high, and sometimes low, standards Black women are expected to live up to.

It is so important to recognize that through the traumatic experience of being shot by a friend who publicly denied it, Megan is still using her healing energy to educate others.

A Black woman’s work is never done. She’s expected to go through the pain, heal from it through the scrutiny, and then patch things up in the world so that incidents like this don’t happen again. Unfortunately domestic violence and assault continues to occur. This is why the demand for Black women to be protected is important. We can’t be your mothers, birth your kids, be your wives, be your advocates and support systems, as well as your punching bags.

In an opinion piece for the New York Times, Megan thee Stallion used her voice to shed light on our need and right to be protected. This goes far beyond equality, Megan dissects the Black woman’s expectation to be everything to everybody but nothing for themselves. She explores the entertainment industry and their mission of pitting Black female artists against each other instead of encouraging camaraderie. She also details how women are objectified because of the clothes they wear. In all honesty, this was a truthful, authentic article that barely touches the surface of a Black woman’s experience.  

In addition to discussing the domestic violence incident that made headlines, Megan touched on other aspects of the Black woman experience, including wearing clothing that showcases her body out of pride for her curves.

“I choose what I wear, not because I am trying to appeal to men, but because I am showing pride in my appearance, and a positive body image is central to who I am as a woman and a performer,” she said in the profound piece. “I value compliments from women far more than from men,” she added. She believes Black women are vilified for proclaiming their sexuality and expressing themselves through their choice of clothing. “When women choose to capitalize on our sexuality, to reclaim our own power, like I have, we are vilified and disrespected.”

She mentioned past controversy surrounding Serena Williams’ buxom body, noting White America’s unhealthy obsession with the Black female body. “The fact that Serena Williams, the greatest athlete in any sport ever, had to defend herself for wearing a bodysuit at the 2018 French Open is proof positive of how misguided the obsession with Black women’s bodies is,” she states in the lengthy NYT essay.

Megan, who recently turned her Saturday Night Live appearance into a strong statement about the abuse Black women face on a daily basis, concluded her message with familiar despair.

“We know that after the last ballot is cast and the vote is tallied, we are likely to go back to fighting for ourselves. Because at least for now, that’s all we have.”

Read the full essay, here.

Megan Thee Stallion Is A Golden Goddess On The Cover Of Time100

Megan Thee Stallion Hits The Town With Her Textured Tresses

Megan Thee Stallion Slams Body Critics: I Choose What I Wear To Show Pride In My Appearance  was originally published on hellobeautiful.com