Questioning Megan Thee Stallion’s interest in anime proves insecurity and ignorance plagues the industry.
300 Entertainment rapper Megan Thee Stallion impressively found a way to incorporate Ryu, Pikachu, and Goku into a recent BEATS 1 freestyle. Yet all people are talking about is whether she is actually an anime fan or not.
To some, her fandom is determined by her appearance, which makes the situation even worse. That kind of stereotyping irks me tremendously. But before I get into it, here’s a bit of the backstory.
Megan thee Stallion was the first woman rapper to join 300 Ent., the imprint founded by Lyor Cohen and Kevin Liles. The Houston artist made big waves recently due to her effortless flow and her 10-song EP called Tina Snow. But, what’s even more unique about the 23-year-old is that she is balancing both a music career and full-time pursuit of a health administration degree at Texas Southern University.
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First light of Megan thee Stallon’s anime interest came up in an Instagram selfie. Her caption made a reference to the anime manga series My Hero Academia. And it looked like she blended the name of her EP with one of the main characters, Shoto Todoroki.
This got various people, more specifically men, starting to question the intentions behind her caption. But, what really kicked off a stream of doubt and questioning was her reference to notable anime and gaming characters in her recent freestyle.
“Got the moves like I’m Ryu // Yellow Diamonds Pikachu // When I turn my hair to blonde I’m finna turn up like Goku.”
I don’t know Megan thee Stallion personally so I don’t know what the degree of interest is but, the fact that we are still questioning women about their interest in gaming and anime in 2019 is absurd.
And more importantly, determining a black women’s interest in anime or gaming strictly off of her appearance? Why are we continuing to question black women’s interest in nerd culture?
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A women’s skin color and appearance doesn’t and shouldn’t dictate what they like.
I’ve had moments when people questioned my passion for video games. And of course, when asked they bring up current popular titles like Fortnite. But, once they realize I’m a gamer gamer, naming titles like Call of Duty and Halo, their tone changes. Clearly, one of the reasons they make this assumption is because of my appearance.
But just like music, video games and anime are universal. Thanks to the internet, we have the power within ourselves to explore and find new interests at a young age. With the world at our fingertips, we can watch old episodes of Ghost in the Shell, Bleach or find out information on upcoming video game patches.
And honestly, you’d be surprised how many of your #WCW wouldn’t mind a game of Mario Kart.
