“Since I was viciously shot by the defendant, I have not experienced a single day of peace,” recounts 28-year-old Megan Thee Stallion in a statement read by Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Kathy Ta during the Tory Lanez trial. “Slowly but surely, I'm healing and coming back, but I will never be the same,” she added.
Tory Lanez was today (9th August) sentenced to 10 years in prison after being convicted of three felony counts for shooting Megan with a semiautomatic handgun following a Kylie Jenner house party back in July 2020. The trial was turned into a media circus, and even then, a large part of social media decided that Megan was no longer the victim. She was the target of verbal and mental abuse, even though she is not the person on trial, nor has she committed a crime.
Now that Tory Lanez has been sentenced, the court of public opinion has further sentenced Megan to an onslaught of scrutiny, judgment and trauma. Sure, some spoke out in support of Megan and her experience as a Black woman and victim of male violence; but others spoke out in support of a man capable of committing that violence.
As a fellow Black woman, I can't shake off how disappointing it is to witness other Black women and men actively choosing to be on the wrong side of history, particularly at a time when we should be coming together as a community and covering Megan and all the other victims of male violence with love and prayer. At a time when we should be focusing on the importance of protecting Black women. At at time when we should be having conversations about what sort of example we are setting for all the young men we are raising.
Instead, we are choosing to argue against what the court of law as already decided, we're choosing to dirt up victim's names, accuse them of being liars and accuse everyone else in support of them as being anti-Black for “rejoicing the downfall of a Black man”.
To put it candidly, the hate that Megan Thee Stallion has been getting since Tory Lanez stood trial for shooting her stems from misogynoir – a term used to describe a specific strain of misogyny directed solely towards black women.
This Black woman's experience is not isolated. During the public announcement of the sentence, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón said: “Women, especially Black women, are afraid to report crimes like assault because they are too often not believed. I commend Megan Pete for her incredible bravery and vulnerability as she underwent months of probing investigation and court appearances where she had to relive her trauma, and the public scrutiny that followed. This case highlighted the numerous ways that our society must do better for women.”
How did this happen? How do you go from being the victim of a serious crime that put your life, health and mental well-being at risk, to being villainised as a promiscuous liar?
The accusations started on day one. People have been accusing Megan of lying in her original police statement – where she claimed her injuries resulted from stepping on glass. She addressed this in an interview with Gayle King on CBS Mornings, saying she was too scared of the consequences (of admitting that someone in the group was carrying a deadly weapon) in a climate where police brutality is rife. Even though this has been proven truthful in court, people either criticise her for lying or take cheap shots at her sexual history.
Historically, Black women’s bodies have been sexualised and assumed to be their only source of power. The Sarah Baartman story is a good reference point as it’s often regarded as the epitome of racist colonial exploitation and dehumanisation. You might recognise the illustrations of that African lady with a very large butt. Known as ‘Hottentot Venus’, she was brought to the UK with a ship surgeon who profited from exhibiting her for the entertainment of the British public due to her large butt, which was diagnosed as steatopygia.
Her story symbolises how Black women’s bodies were seen as commodities and sexualised at a young age, and this defined the stories of many Black women thereafter. Sexual liberation is already a taboo subject, but for Black women, that conversation quickly shifts to slut shaming, and in a profoundly patriarchal society, women very rarely benefit from it. Men are quick to use that against women to justify their bad behaviour.
Think about it, you wouldn’t remind your daughter and sister that all the boys in the playground want her, or that she’s a little heartbreaker, nor would you ever name her first flat a bachelorette pad. Men’s sexual history is rarely used as a weapon of bad character, lack of maturity and a measure of moral compass. If that had any effect on the imminent result of the trial, why were people not commenting on Tory's sexual history instead then?
Ultimately Megan suffered an attack that could have killed her. Yet, people are trying to slut shame her instead of encouraging an open and honest discourse that showcases the gravity of her situation and how this is a reflection of how society still treats women.
“That’s the motive…can ya’ll kill the slut shaming noise, it’s relative to the case.” says an Instagram user, under the comments on the court case updates, as to reference that she clearly is a victim of this crime for reason.
Another user responded with, “There is NO REASON/MOTIVE for a MAN to SHOOT A WOMAN. Move on;thanks.” To which the user from the first comment counter responds with: “It’s the whole reason for shooting, the main reason [there] was a fight instigated. Because of her affairs with her friends associates.” I don’t mean to sound satirical but really? Apparently, shooting someone is fine, but alleged sexual “affairs”, is where we draw the line?
This man’s thoughts are not in isolation, nor are they in a vacuum. If the comments are not about her sexual history, then it’s because she’s lying about parts of the story. Hypothetically, even if she did “lie” about part of the story, there is still no justification for it.
During the trial back in 2022, rapper 50 Cent posted a meme of Megan slowly transforming into Jussie Smollett – who is known and convicted for staging a fake hate crime against himself. 50 Cent used this opportunity to bring down a Black woman, insinuating that her story is fake.
My first response to this was, ‘Dear Mr. Cent, If you hate women, just say that and go!’ However, he was not alone. “This b[*]tch lie ‘bout getting shot but she still a stallion” is a bar from a rap song by Drake in the single ‘Circo Loco’. As loaded as the bar is, it saddens me how Megan’s peers in the industry would use her traumatic story for a catchy double entendre, a fun play on words and a hit record.
Megan's former stylist posted videos of himself outside of the courtroom with the Law & Order theme tune, while posing for photos, as if Megan’s trauma was a plausible platform for marketing and monetisation.
Podcaster Joe Budden who is a known voice in the Hip Hop community, said "I don't like the girl" and that she has done "horrible things" to great people — referencing the legal situation Tory Lanez is facing. Clearly, for Joe and all of these people, Megan reporting to the police that she got shot by a former friend is the epitome of betrayal, even at the expense of her mere existence.
Her own peers with incredible visibility and power were against her, but why did they choose her over him? Of course, that's not to say that accolades in this case matter, but if it's based on industry network and networth – he doesn’t have a repertoire like she does, and we can categorically say his fan base reach didn't even cover anywhere near her's. Meg's talent and brand have transcended music genres and generations; they’re simply not navigating in the same stratosphere if we're talking career milestones. But yet, the internet is full of hate and vitriol against her.
Now that Tory has been sentenced to the 10 years, the conversation has also shifted to “it's too much time, they're being harsh.” But isn't getting shot harsh in itself? Play stupid games, win stupid prizes, harsh crimes often lead to harsh punishments. “I don’t understand the outrage?! Homie shot a sister, he deserved prison time. He’s lucky he only got 10 years, I was expected 20! Let it have been Kylie Jenner he shot and they would have given him life and nobody would be saying a word” says a IG user on the comments of a popular Black culture IG blog “ The Shade Room” and although the post is full of negative comments, 13,000 other people seem to agree with this user.
Another added: “Somebody said “If someone shot you, would you want them to do less time?” and that’s all imma say”.
While a user also added their two pence:"Something about 10 years don’t feel right. I’m very sad for his son. He is going to miss out on so much time with his dad. 😢". As much as I hate to see a child go without a father for such a long time, my heart is also with all of Megan's family and loved ones who could have lost her due to avoidable and senseless violence.
This is a story many women, especially domestic violence, gender violence or sexual assault survivors, are far too familiar with. At first, they’re seen as liars, and then when the evidence points to the truth, they’re seen as deserving.
Megan Thee Stallion is a world-renowned superstar. At only 28, she’s amassed a very sexy CV. Be it Grammy’s, a Forbes 30 under 30 cover, VMAs, AMAs, BET Awards, Billboard chart-topping singles, or even an acting credit at the Marvel franchise She-Hulk. She’s secured a People’s Choice Award, yet ironically, in the face of abuse, her own people choose to turn against her.
With fame and fortune comes privilege, but it isn’t unknown how Megan has had to endure a lot of misfortune in her life. Her parents and grandparents have passed, and these people were always there to guide her through decision-making, especially on her rise to superstardom. Even through all the heartbreak, she prevailed.
Now, she has battled through being heckled outside the courthouse and navigating life while being harassed by her music industry peers who have been busy providing no constructive discourse, just bad vibes. It has become clear that even someone with as much privilege as her is not protected in the face of misogyny.
Her experience somewhat mirrors that of Meghan Markle, both of which have been villainized to a disproportionate degree. It makes me think that it comes from a more sinister place, one of misogyny, misogynoir and sexism.
Like Megan Thee Stallion, Meghan Markle’s accolades shouldn't be overlooked. She’s been an activist since she was 11 years old, a graduate, a self-made millionaire, and has raised millions for charity. Yet, a ‘prolific’ TV presenter has the cojones and the audacity to write a violent piece of poor journalism labelled ‘an op-ed’ about her in one of the biggest newspapers in the country. He was allowed to express how he ‘hates her on a cellular level’ because, after all — ‘freedom of speech’. He gets that right, yet these women don’t get the right to live a life free of bullying and harassment.
Both Megan and Meghan have continuously expressed how they’ve had suicidal thoughts from their experiences with the media and social media, yet we continue to see them being taunted. At the same time, we overlook the behaviour of the men around them. They both tried to speak out, and in that bravery came intense scrutiny and vulnerability.
Many people out there would rather support a man despite his transgressions over believing any woman. Just like people were fans of Johnny Depp, they jumped on the Amber Heard hate train without making a judgment based on the facts of the case. Or how the media would much rather claim that Meghan Markle has single-handedly destroyed the reputation of the Royal Family as opposed to addressing Prince Andrew’s sexual assault allegations, which he has strongly denied.
Even unbiased and well respected journalists who attended the trials IRL day in and day out, and put in the work to understand the case like the likes of Meghann Cuniff, have had their fair share of fury and vitriol for sharing their reportings which rightly leaned toward Megan. So if the law, the experts, and the victim can't be believed when the evidence is pointed towards them, surely we have a problem?
All celebrities get hate; it comes with the territory, but being a woman and a whistle-blower with this much visibility is not often a positive experience. We’re quick to appreciate their efforts to not only protect themselves but protect other women like them thereafter, who don’t have as much access and power; however, when we do so, it’s often too late. We need to be better at protecting these women who speak up.
I have deep sympathy for Megan; we’re age-mates, both Black, and both women growing up in a society inherently misogynistic by nature. I can empathise with having to navigate the world with those labels. I can’t understand why the tide has turned against her, but I think more people should be speaking out to protect women like her — the ones that use their voices to create small changes with butterfly effects.
Black women are often the first ones outside, seen on the front line organising, marching, and protesting, all to protect Black men. But in the face of misogyny, misogynoir, prejudice and sexism, who’s protecting us?
For more from Glamour UK Beauty Writer Shei Mamona, follow her on Instagram @sheimamona.
