Megan Thee Stallion’s performance at Vice President Kamala Harris’ rally in Atlanta on Tuesday night sparked some criticism online — but many supporters of Harris on social media are calling the backlash “hypocritical.”
The “Hot Girl Summer” rapper donned a blue pantsuit ensemble while she performed several of her hit songs during the boisterous event, including “Mamushi,” “Savage” and “Body.”
Before introducing “Body,” Megan made an impassioned pitch for Harris for president, telling the crowd: “I know my ladies in the crowd love their body. And if you want to keep loving your body, you know who to vote for.”
Elsewhere in the performance, which the rapper gave before a crowd of about 10,000 Harris supporters packed into Atlanta’s Georgia State Convocation Center, Megan shouted, “Hotties for Harris!”
Some people on X, formerly Twitter, criticized the performance, calling The Houston rapper’s show unprofessional and “tasteless,” and said it seemed to pander to voters.
Some right-wing users on X went as far as to post a derogatory version of her call to action, dubbing fans “Hoes for Harris.”
Supporters of Harris and fans of the Houston rapper pushed back against the criticism, saying that much of it is overblown. Others noted that Harris has advocated for reproductive rights and bodily autonomy, and argued Megan Thee Stallion embodies that message.
“We voting for VP Harris because we love her messaging on reproductive choice and women making decisions about their body,” one X user wrote. “Yet some of us are critiquing Megan Thee Stallion for… doing what she wants with her body? ‘Time and place’ Twitter will ruin us every time.”
Megan Thee Stallion, who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in health administration from Texas Southern University in Houston, has been an outspoken advocate for women’s empowerment and mental health awareness for years.
In 2022, the rapper slammed the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, stripping away constitutional protections for abortion, saying onstage during a performance at the Glastonbury Festival that she and her fans didn’t “support this bullshit.”
People on X defended Megan Thee Stallion’s presence at the rally, which also included speeches from Georgia Democratic Sens. Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, former Democratic gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams and rapper Quavo.
Other X users called the backlash hypocritical, pointing out the fact that the Republican National Convention earlier this month featured appearances from celebrities, such as Kid Rock, Amber Rose and Hulk Hogan, who ripped his shirt off during his speech onstage.