In early 2017, my manager reprimanded me for not smiling as much as I used to at work. He was concerned that my “attitude” was depressing team morale. Meanwhile, I didn’t feel like there was much to smile about regarding current events, especially when the Muslim ban came into effect.
DammitI thought inside of me, Are black girls allowed to have bad days?
Fast forward to 2022 and mega rapper Megan Thee Stallion says yes.
Last weekend, Megan released badbitcheshavebaddaystoo.com. The website, named after a line from her song, “Anxiety,” features a mental health and wellness resource center, including sites specifically for Black people and the LGBTQIA+ community, such as therapy for black girls, therapy for black menY Directory of LGBTQ Psychotherapists of Color.
When I started following Megan in 2018, it was because of her sharp lyrics and yes, her body-ody-ody-ody. Here was a bright, beautiful black woman who wasn’t afraid to speak her mind and was unapologetic about her curves and sexuality: my kind of woman.
But after learning more about her personal history: starting therapy after losing both of her parents; his promise to graduate from college to make them proud; our shared love for fellow Houstonians, Beyonce“I fell in love with her even more.” The rapper also hasn’t shied away from being vulnerable and speaking out about her struggles, showing generations of Black women that you don’t always have to have everything under control, and that it’s okay to have bad days.
in a interview last fall with actress Taraji P. Henson for her Facebook Watch series, Peace of mind with Taraji, The rapper talked about her mental health and how to keep a positive attitude despite the difficulties.
“I feel like mental health is more important to me right now, more than ever, because I have more pressure on me than I feel like I used to… when I was Megan, and I wasn’t as criticized and under such pressure. magnifying glass as I am now,” she said.
Megan’s resilience in the face of constant adversity is admirable, and I wish black women didn’t have to be so resilient all the time. Because heaven forbid if we’re having a bad day and feel like lashing out at the world: nobody likes angry black women, even though we have a million reasons to be.
After all, their new album is titled traumazin, after a fictional chemical that “is released in the brain when forced to deal with painful emotions caused by traumatic events and experiences.” What Megan is doing by acknowledging that she’s fighting through tough times is making people in underserved communities, communities where talking about mental health is still taboo, safe to do the same.
Not only is he making mental health resources accessible, he’s making sure they’re culturally relevant so they reach his fans (and hopefully many others) where they are. And she’s vehemently dismissing the strong black woman trope so many of us have been raised to perpetuate.
By simply being herself, Megan is proving that black women can be soft. Black women can be angry. Black women can have bad days too. And there is nothing wrong with that.
