How Megan Thee Stallion’s Shooting Case Reveals Our Internalized Misogynoir

Tory Lanez has been found guilty of shooting Megan Thee Stallion. In August of 2020, Megan Thee Stallion, whose real name is Megan Pete, shared in an Instagram Live video that she had been shot by Lanez. Despite Megan sharing the trauma she endured and insisting that Lanez was the perpetrator, the public has repeatedly questioned the veracity of her claims, with some high-profile celebrities making Megan’s pain into a punchline. Some have pointed to “holes” in Megan’s story and others have called her sexual history into question as if either variable excuse the harm she endured. What has taken place over the last two years since the incident occurred is a prime example of misogynoir.

Misogynoir is a term coined by Moya Bailey and is defined as “the specific hatred, dislike, distrust, and prejudice directed toward Black women.” What has transpired since the shooting deserves further examination. Some feel that Megan is not owed sympathy, compassion or kindness because of her sexual history. A pervasive troupe that is applied to Black women is the Jezebel stereotype. Black women and girls in society experience adultification and hypersexualization. This stereotype predates American slavery but was personified in the 1600s when Black women were being sexually objectified. In the current era, women like Megan who are sex-positive and outspoken about their sexual desires, are somehow deserving of the harassment and violence committed against them. Many women who experience harm are afraid to speak up and speak out. These fears are exacerbated when you are a Black woman. The phrase “believe Black women” comes with caveats. Apparently, we should only believe Black women when they are chaste, moral and holy based on our biased societal standards. Megan’s partner Pardison “Pardi” Fontaine recently offered some words of encouragement to victims. “To any woman, especially ones of color, that has suffered an injustice, I feel for you...your credibility will be questioned, your entire past will be held under a magnifying glass...to anyone with a sister, mother, niece or aunt, I pray for their protection. I pray for their covering. I wouldn’t wish this on anyone.”

The irony is not missed. The same people demanding more kindness and empathy after the deaths of Chadwick Boseman and Stephen “tWitch” Boss are the same people berating and denigrating Megan. Many fail to realize the toll that online vitriol can have on a person, even a celebrity with money and fame. Because Megan is not the “perfect victim,” she has become the transgressor; the misogynoir is alive and well. There is not enough conversation around the fact that the rapper experienced the loss of her mother and grandmother in a short timeframe during 2019. What the focus has been on is the lies that Megan told. The first was during an interview with Gayle King. During the interview, Megan denied having a sexual relationship with Lanez but during the trial, Megan admitted to lying, explaining that she was ashamed that someone she shared her body with could cause her so much pain. The second falsehood that Megan admitted to was when the incident first happened and she told the police her injuries occurred from stepping on glass. Megan shared that the reason she lied was because she was worried that the police could harm Lanez, given the fact that the shooting occurred just a few months after the murder of George Floyd. Even after Megan had experienced harm, her first instinct was to protect the person that caused her harm.

Supporting Megan doesn’t mean agreeing with every decision or choice that she has made. Supporting Megan doesn’t mean you have to love her music. But we must interrogate our initial reactions to this case. Why did we not believe her in the first place? Why is her pain a point of contention, conflict, and controversy? Why does her sexual history justify the harm she experienced? Have none of us done things in our past that we regret? We forget that although Megan has amassed wealth and notoriety, she is human too and makes mistakes just like the rest of us; apparently it doesn’t matter that she is still in her 20s trying to navigate life. Because she is not the “perfect victim”, she is undeserving of protection, respect, or support. In the aftermath of the shooting, one can only imagine what Megan, who has been outspoken about her struggles with anxiety, must be going through. The court of public opinion has shown Megan that her pain doesn’t matter. Dismantling our internalized misogynoir requires us to recognize that Black women’s trauma should never be up for debate.