How Megan Thee Stallion has Changed, and Why it Matters

Megan Thee Stallion rose to fame in 2019. While she continually made headlines due to her controversial lyrics, how she chose to present herself in the mainstream media continued to grow alongside her career. 

One of Megan’s most notable first magazine covers was for Paper Magazine in August 2019, which saw Megan styled as the popular anime character Todoroki from “My Hero Academia,” leading the creators of the show to reach out to Megan themselves to voice their approval. 

While the cover itself may have come before her outspoken love of anime, fans everywhere were able to instantly recognize who she was cosplaying for the magazine. Although this cover was one of her firsts, it was enough to make the shoot memorable and set the standards for a Megan Thee Stallion cover going forward. 

These photos saw Megan in clothes that were able to emphasize her figure and create interesting silhouettes that seemed intentional and solid in both direction and style. Most notably, Megan wore a black and white printed catsuit from Richard Quinn Moncler, which covered her hands and feet. (GQ)

Shortly afterward, Megan was featured in i-D Magazine. It was shot in black and white and featured four different looks, one of which included a sparkling Versace mini dress. However, the cover saw Megan in a scalloped black bra and matching mini skirt from Maison Alaïa. 

While everything fit her perfectly, the silhouette felt plain and uninspired. This would continue to be a trend, as another look saw her in barely-there denim shorts and a bikini top, finished off with a fur shaw from Gucci. 

In May, Megan was in Marie Claire, a popular magazine that boasts “more than 10 million readers monthly,” according to their website. Here, Megan was featured in several different looks that all revolved in or around warm colors like orange and red. 

One of the first looks was a ruched orange bodycon dress from Dolce & Gabbana, which felt bland in comparison to the eclectic style of the i-D shoot before. Even more noteworthy is that this magazine shot Megan in an almost exact replication of the Versace dress from that same shoot, except this time with long sleeves.
Although Megan was styled in a multicolored mini dress from Naeem Khan, even the fringe could not distract from the fact that it felt boring given Megan’s personality as portrayed on her social media. 

In maybe the most enchanting look of this shoot, Megan was finally put into a different silhouette — a midi red Coach jacket. The simplicity of it shed a different light on Megan, one that had not been entirely explored in a photoshoot thus far. 

And yet, the cover photo that was chosen from all of Megan’s looks was a net dress from Off-White with a bodysuit that matched her skin tone and featured a mock turtleneck. While this wasn’t altogether a bad look, it wasn’t her best and the bodysuit stopping halfway while the net dress was longer felt unfinished. 

September and October featured Megan in minor sections for both W Magazine and Time Magazine, with the latter being her on the list of Time’s “The 100 Most Influential People of 2020.”

For W Magazine, she was styled in a matching plaid sweater and leggings from Mui Mui. While it wasn’t earth-shattering, the embellishment on the sweater along with the Peter Pan collar gave hope for a different kind of Megan Thee Stallion cover-- perhaps one that did not sacrifice sex appeal for fashion, or vice versa. 

For Time, Megan wore a Monsoori formal gown that featured an elaborate shoulder and a dangerously high thigh split. It’s also worth noting that her hair itself was styled into a long braid which she used to elevate the photos overall. The result was a chic cover that showcased Megan as a force to be reckoned with, without giving her a boring silhouette that only highlighted her figure. 

While all of these shoots were important showcases of Megan’s growth in the media, it was the GQ magazine’s December/January edition that felt closest to perfection. 

These photos saw Megan in clothes that were able to emphasize her figure and create interesting silhouettes that seemed intentional and solid in both direction and style. Most notably, Megan wore a black and white printed catsuit from Richard Quinn Moncler, which covered her hands and feet. 

In maybe her most interesting look yet, Megan wore a white LaQuan Smith bodycon dress that reached the floor. The dress itself displayed cutouts that showed Megan’s skin, striking a perfect balance between showcasing her figure and creating something interesting to look at. 

Where she will go from here is up to her, but you can be certain that it will be different from what it was before.