“Just as a snake sheds its skin”: The Development of New Identities in Black Artistry Through Scarring and Ownership in a Post-BLM Climate.

Abstract

Megan Pete is a complex, cultural icon who debuted in the modern era and brought along with her echoes of the past. With her widespread success, fans and other individuals alike look to her for her influence, her opinion, and her activism that she unapologetically brings amidst social chaos and political unease. Megan has never apologized for her artistry that she uses to discuss complex issues of power struggles, race-based crimes, and advocacy for those who have a diminished voice by comparison. She has claimed ownership of her own body, sexuality, autonomy, and identity, and uses scarring of the Self, as well as from others, as a means to tell a story in her music videos, bringing with her the power of her personal history in addition to the history of Black Americans, the Black female experience in America, and racially-charged social dialogues to commit and call for change in the positive.