Who runs the world? GIRLS! The future is female. Sailor Moon, aka Usagi Tsukino, aka mother of Shoujo (specifically, the “magical girl” trope), reigns superior even over her Shonen counterparts. Yes, Usagi would totally destroy Goku in an all-out battle. Sailor Moon has taught us the value of friendship, motherhood, love, forgiveness, emotional intelligence, open-mindedness, and finding the good in those you’d deem evil. As the epitome of what it means to be a woman, Sailor Moon has forged an everlasting impression on those who love her. In popular music culture, we have beautiful artists who embody those same attributes. Though I hate referring to women as “female,” female rap has also stood against the test of misogyny, showing just how much we can hang with, if not overthrow, the boys. From “Pu**y Rap” to conscious cadence, embodying that divine femininity is a common attribute amongst our XX-chromosome emcees. Let’s look at how Sailor Moon has influenced these attributes in our favorite women rappers.
Megan Thee Stallion
Megan Thee Stallion has always been vocal about her life as a “blerd.” From bars mentioning her watching anime to her classic Todoroki-esque hairstyle, she has placed her stamp in the nerd community. Her love of Japanese animation has even landed her deals with Crunchyroll. So what influence has Sailor Moon had on our Houston hottie?
During the 2022 Summer Sonic in Japan, Megan Thee Stallion and her hottie senseis adorned themselves with slick and chic subtle Sailor Moon cosplays. Megan Thee Stallion displayed a big, vibrant red bow as a focal point to her swimsuit-style sailor uniform that was ever so popular amongst grade schools in Japan. She accompanied this look with a pleated blue mini-skirt and thigh-high boots. Her hair, styled in traditional “odango” fashion, perched a stylish zigzag part with messy stands left out to frame her gorgeous face. She tributed her Japanese visit to the powerful bunny on the moon.
Lizzo
As with Megan Thee Stallion, Lizzo is another phenomenal rapper who took fashion advice from our sailor guardian. During the 2018 Voodoo festival, Lizzo caressed her body with a beautiful rendition of one of Sailor Moon’s first transformation outfits. She complemented her dress with chic double space buns and braided pigtails. Lizzo, being a fan of Sailor Moon since childhood, has executed the life lessons of the character within her professional and personal life. Having multiple favorite characters from the series, Lizzo tweeted that she would like to visit Comic-Con dressed as Sailor Saturn with fellow musicians Grimes and Clare Grant. In one social media video, she twerked with her flute and retorted: “B**ch, I’m Sailor Moon! And in the name of the moon, I’ll vanquish you!”
With little representation of black beauty within media, Lizzo saw Usagi as the epitome of beauty. She wanted to look like her. Thankfully, matters have changed for the better, and she can appreciate the beauty of Usagi while also loving herself and her representation. In an interview with Vogue, Lizzo mentioned her favorite character was Sailor Saturn. But due to Saturn being the guardian of death and destruction, she opted for the guardian of love and beauty, Venus. As a woman who has broken barriers within the music industry, we can understand why Lizzo resonates with our Usagi.
Saweetie
Now on to our “Icy Moonie.” As another woman rapper who grew up on Sailor Moon, Saweetie mentions that she was irked by the “crybaby” nature of Usagi (via Sailor Moon Fan Club). This all changed once she found Usagi was a cancer. But, Saweetie’s favorite character is actually Chibi Moon. The “My Type” raptress owns and iced out a Chibi Moon chain to honorably hone in on her love of little Usagi. She finds Chibi Usagi as a “rebel.”
What captivated Saweetie as a fan of Sailor Moon was how innocent and sexy her transformations were: the perfect duality, the mystery of her reveal. Via Saweetie’s Instagram, she posted her outfit of the day, which embroidered a Sailor Moon graphic tee. She is definitely an “Icy Moonie.”
Doja Cat
Doja Cat doesn’t speak too openly about anime as the other lovely ladies on our list, but she sure represented her magical girl transformation sequence well with her hit single “Like That,” Ft. Gucci Mane. Doja Cat’s live action-animation mixed music video really quieted the rumors on whether she was an anime fan. The transformation sequence gave us an exhilarating rainbow of color as her 2D character wielded a signature magical girl scepter. Embodying the pyrokinesis and the hand movement of Sailor Mars, flames spread as she shows just how hot she is. We like the galactic journey this music video invoked: Another win for magical girl supremacy.
Baby Tate
In 2021, Baby Tate dressed up as our guardian Usagi for Halloween. According to her interview with Sailor Moon Fan Club, as a relatively new fan, she had only just watched the first episode of Sailor Moon a few weeks before her costume debut. Growing up, Tate wasn’t allowed to watch certain things (i.e., anime). What mesmerized Tate was Usagi, who cries at any slight inconvenience. Sailor Moon lets us know it's okay to cry, and strength comes from emotional intelligence. Tate relates to Sailor Moon in the way that she is boy-crazy and wants to find love vs. putting her effort into her other priorities. Sailor Moon’s iconic pigtails reverberated into Tate’s own personal style. She will forever be a fan of Sailor Moon.
As a big fan of Sailor Moon, myself, I understand the dynamics of mixing girlhood and power. Transmuting that energy in your craft shows tremendous power control. Sailor Moon stands for exactly what our female rappers portray within their music. Girl power is forever embedded into our lives and hearts because of Sailor Moon. GET WITH IT. And if you can’t, in the name of the moon, I’ll punish you.
