Opinion

Misogynoir forced Megan Thee Stallion to prove that Tory Lanez shot her

By Connie Mangumbu

Updated Sep 17, 2020 at 04:28 PM

Reading time: 3 minutes


Human rights

Aug 27, 2020

For weeks the curious case of Megan Thee Stallion’s shooting has brought shockwaves throughout the media. Such an implausible story of two friends, the Quarantine Radio power duo, leaving a Kylie Jenner function and met with a sudden shooting. One a victim, the other a perpetrator. Many speculated a possible lovers’ spat, others, a turf war gone wrong.

Well, after efforts to defame the ‘Savage’ rapper’s credibility, Megan Thee Stallion hit back at the rumour mill to debunk any misconceptions we may have had. In an Instagram Live, the rapper alleged that Tory Lanez’s team were circulating misinformation of the case to news outlets and blogs. Here is why the ‘strong black woman’ trope delegitimised Megan Thee Stallion’s victimhood.

First of all, many might wonder why the rapper stayed silent on the matter for so long. Because of fear. “I’m scared, all this shit going on with the police… The police is shooting motherfuckers for everything. The police was literally killing black people for no motherfucking reason,” Megan explained on Instagram, adding, “I didn’t tell the police right there, immediately what happened because I didn’t want to die. I don’t want the police to shoot me. I didn’t want to tell the police nothing because I didn’t want us to get in any more trouble than what we were about to get in.”

When a black woman pleads to the masses for compassion, it is glaringly difficult as a black woman, not to recognise the suffering and follow it with a sigh. Not out of a lack of empathy but of the apathy of others. For so long the cries of black women in society have resembled a sort of convulsion into a haunted house of mirrors, where the mirrors are two-sided; you on the side of the glass and society performing their own victimhood on the side of the mirror. There’s a tiny opening overhead but you can’t quite reach it with the weight of black men clambering through on your shoulders.

When Norwegian sociologist and criminologist Nils Christie spoke about the ideal victim, he framed his argument on personal characteristics; white womanhood. Yet, the conclusion of the study ultimately resulted in the confirmation that society is responsible for legitimising or refuting claims of victimhood.

Men sat on the internet to stake a claim in knowledge of an incident they did not witness, some women even went on podcasts and social media to contest Megan’s trauma to the point where she felt no other choice than to show proof of her injuries. Again, compassion was still not extended. Why? Misogynoir, which defines misogyny directed towards black women where race and gender both play roles in bias, coupled with size discrimination.

Had Megan Thee Stallion been dainty and unassuming, a singer and not a rapper, perhaps then she would have been met with a little more grace. By no means is she overweight. However, by being voluptuous, five foot ten and brown-skinned black, that all amounted to the masculinisation of a woman who had been a victim of gun violence. According to society, Megan is not near enough to being a damsel in distress for her trauma to be handled with care.

In addition to fear, the rapper commented on her innate need to protect and put the needs not only of others, men specifically before her own. “Even though he shot me, I tried to spare him.”

One constant criticism of the fight against police brutality among the black community is how outrage pales in comparison when gender is considered. According to Statista, in 2020 111 black people were killed in the US at the hands of police. Of those most widely known was the murder of George Floyd, which reignited global Black Lives Matter protests. A triggering point in time for black people on the internet especially to be inundated with race-based trauma porn at a higher rate than ever before. Black women were at the fore and mobilised the black community to get to work, as we do and should.

Then came Breonna Taylor and we continued to march. But when the lens was shifted to Oluwatoyin Salau, then Mercy Mack and once Black Lives Matter was extended to Black Trans Lives Matter (too), some believed that too divisive a cause to stand behind. Focus on the men first (as always), then we can focus on (cisgender-heterosexual) women, because violence against black womxn at the hands of black men is too political and undermines the work of liberation for others.

This is why we say, ‘say her name’ because if not we, then who? Time and time again our male counterparts show us that protection comes with conditions—conditions black women cannot afford to consider when the shoe is on our foot and their foot on our necks.

Keep On Reading

By Fatou Ferraro Mboup

Videos of Israeli content creators seemingly mocking Palestinians spark online controversy

By Alma Fabiani

Exploring AI trends: Advancements, impact, and future possibilities

By Lois Freeman

The ugly path to freedom: How I finally ended my teenage eating disorder

By Charlie Sawyer

FouseyTube’s arrest following destructive livestream proves creators won’t stop at anything anymore

By Jennifer Raymont

Here’s our guide to the 20 cutest Baggu products out there

By Abby Amoakuh

Why is Huda Beauty being boycotted? Here’s a breakdown of founder Huda Kattan’s numerous controversies

By Alma Fabiani

How to unlock Netflix’s secret category codes to access hidden films and series genres

By Abby Amoakuh

What is girl ethics? The gen Z-improved TikTok version of the girl code

By Charlie Sawyer

The death of independent media. VICE may have been the first victim, but it won’t be the last

By Mason Berlinka

The gory Grimace Shake trend is killing off TikTokers one McDonald’s promo at a time

By Fatou Ferraro Mboup

Joe Jonas under scrutiny for asking Gigi Hadid out when she was 13 and he was 19

By Jennifer Raymont

Check out Margot Robbie’s best looks from the Barbie press tour and the dolls that inspired them

By Emma O'Regan-Reidy

6 of Rosalía’s iconic fashion moments and how to recreate them

By Emma O'Regan-Reidy

Dry brushing: Gwyneth Paltrow’s obsessed with it but does it actually offer any benefits?

By Abby Amoakuh

Boris Johnson’s new gig at GB News is a match made in problematic heaven

By Charlie Sawyer

Most iconic celebrity mugshots: From Donald Trump to Khloe Kardashian and Bruno Mars

By Emma O'Regan-Reidy

Big statement belts are back, and they’ve heard about gen Z’s obsession with functionality

By Mason Berlinka

Barbie movie ban: Why Hollywood is constantly bending the knee to China

By Charlie Sawyer

TikToker exposes exclusive celebrity dating app Raya as a hub for toxic men

By Abby Amoakuh

The Summer I Turned Pretty star Gavin Casalegno blasted over liking sexist and transphobic posts