Why Are People Still Asking Megan Thee Stallion Inappropriate Interview Questions?
During Megan Thee Stallion’s interview with Entertainment Tonight on the American Music Awards’ red carpet, there was little talk of her music. Outside of a “hot girl summer” reference, and an inquiry about a Lizzo collaboration (built on a comment on Lizzo’s success), there was barely any discussion about Megan’s work as a solo artist.
The interviewer did manage to ask the Houston rapper about her love life, continuing a trend of journalists and bloggers using their platforms to ask Megan Thee Stallion distasteful questions.
Entertainment Tonight‘s red carpet interview was far from the first time Megan had been asked an invasive interview question. In a now-deleted interview, first posted in September 2018, DJ Small Eyez, (who is notorious for questioning women in rap about their bodies) asked Megan if she “developed early.” This was justifiably met with backlash when a clip of the interview resurfaced and went viral on Twitter in July 2019. “She deserves better,” wrote author and activist Blair Imani on Twitter.
Though Megan embraces her curves and her sexuality, that doesn’t give anyone the right to question her exclusively about either one. It’s not only inappropriate, but it limits the rapper, who can speak about her experience as a famous college student, passion for anime, and her other works, at length.
As Megan’s interview with DJ Small Eyez began making rounds, another questionable conversation with British radio host host Tim Westwood hit the airwaves. Westwood asked if Megan was wearing a “wig or a weave,â to which she promptly replied “not your business.” Two years prior, Westwood started off an interview with Cardi B by talking about her hair, and then asked her what type of weave she liked best. Both question were steeped in misogynoirâsomething that Westwood is so steeped in that he actually appeared shocked when Megan wouldn’t divulge the details of her hair.
Having your work consistently reduced to conversations about your body, or your romantic endeavors, is disrespectful. It shows how little media outlets actually care about their subjects, and how much time they’ve spent prioritizing their subject’s work. This is an ongoing issue that persists despite the level of fame that’s reached. This is not what “celebrities sign up for” when they decide to showcase their talent. And Megan Thee Stallion works too hard for this kind of treatment.