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In early 2017, I used to be chastised by my supervisor for not smiling as a lot as I used to at work. She was involved that my “angle” was bringing down crew morale. In the meantime, I didn’t really feel like there was a lot to smile about relating to present occasions, particularly because the Muslim Ban took impact.
Rattling, I assumed to myself, are Black women allowed to have unhealthy days?
Quick ahead to 2022 and mega rapper Megan Thee Stallion says sure.
Final weekend, Megan launched badbitcheshavebaddaystoo.com. The web site, which is called after a line in her track, “Nervousness,” includes a hub of psychological well being and wellness assets, together with websites particularly for Black folks and the LGBTQIA+ neighborhood resembling Remedy for Black Women, Remedy for Black Males and LGBTQ Psycotherapist of Colour Listing.
After I first began following Megan again in 2018, it was due to her sharp-shooting lyrics and sure, her body-ody-ody-ody. Right here was an excellent and exquisite Black lady unafraid to talk her thoughts and unapologetic about her curves and sexuality–my form of lady.
However after studying extra about her private story–beginning remedy after shedding each of her mother and father; her promise to graduate school to make them proud; our shared love of fellow Houston native, Beyoncé–I fell much more in love along with her. The rapper has additionally by no means shied away from being weak and speaking about her struggles, exhibiting generations of Black girls that you simply don’t at all times must have all the pieces collectively and it’s okay to have unhealthy days.
In an interview final fall with actress Taraji P. Henson final fall for her Fb Watch sequence, Peace of Thoughts with Taraji, the rapper talked about her psychological well being and sustaining a constructive outlook regardless of hardships.
“I really feel like proper now psychological well being is extra vital to me, greater than ever, as a result of I’ve extra strain on me than I really feel like I used to have… once I was Megan, and I wasn’t as criticized and below such a magnifying glass as I’m now,” she says.
Megan’s resilience within the face of fixed adversity is admirable, and I want Black girls didn’t must be so resilient on a regular basis. As a result of heaven forbid if we’ve an off day and really feel like lashing out on the world–nobody likes indignant Black girls, despite the fact that we’ve one million causes to be.
In any case, her new album, Traumazine, a fictional chemical that’s “launched within the mind when it’s compelled to take care of painful feelings attributable to traumatic occasions and experiences.” What Megan is doing by acknowledging she struggles with troublesome instances is making it secure for folks from marginalized communities–communities the place speak of psychological well being continues to be very a lot taboo–to do the identical.
Not solely is she making psychological well being assets accessible, she’s guaranteeing they’re culturally related in order that they attain her followers (and hopefully numerous others) the place they’re. And he or she’s vehemently discarding the sturdy Black lady trope so many people have been raised to perpetuate.
By merely being herself, Megan is demonstrating that Black girls could be tender. Black girls could be indignant. Black girls can have unhealthy days, too. And there’s nothing unsuitable with that.
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