Megan Thee Stallion was on a mission as she scanned a room full of fans at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston: to find the best cosplaying hottie during the opening night of Dream Con.
Dozens of attendees rushed to the front of the stage hoping that the costumes they spent hours—weeks and in some cases even months—putting together would catch her attention. The three-time Grammy-winning rapper hyped up a woman with an epic green wig who was dressed as Broly, a character from Dragon Ball Z. And she ran with open arms toward two other women dressed as characters from her favorite anime, My Hero Academia.
Meg herself donned a purple wig and dressed as Yoruichi Shihouin from Bleach, one of the many times we’ve seen her cosplay. This time, she was greeted by thousands also in cosplay, cheering and chanting her name.
“The hotties are making me feel so good! I feel right at home, babe,” she told host Storymode Bae after admitting she’d been nervous. And by “home,” she didn’t mean that solely because the convention and sold-out panel were in her hometown.
After the fandom convention hosted by the popular streaming group RDCWorld announced Meg as the headliner, controversy followed. Social media users called out the organizers for engaging with posts in support of Tory Lanez. Some speculated that Meg would pull out of the convention altogether, even despite her tequila brand, Chicas Divertidas, being a sponsor. Others said the incident highlighted a broader issue: a hostile environment for Black women overall at Dream Con, where about 28,000 attendees were expected.
Organizers issued an apology to the rapper on X: “We recognize that our actions contributed to a negative online environment, and we take full responsibility as we work toward fostering a more positive and respectful space.” Black women leading up to and at Friday’s panel held organizers’ feet to the fire and made sure that Meg felt celebrated and seen.
The misogynoir Meg faced isn’t unique. Black women and femmes in anime and gaming communities often face disrespect and criticism just for existing in the space. And like Meg, their balm for this hasn’t been to retreat from the hobbies they love, but rather to show up and show out. And they did just that at Dream Con 2025. Personifying their favorite heroes, villains, memes and more, Black women practiced boundless imagination and whimsical escapism. The convention also hosted numerous women-led panels.
“I feel like being here is us contributing to a better culture so we can see other women that are like us like, ‘Hey girl, we see you, You don’t have to worry about the femcels and the incels and all those people who are trying to make you to be who you aren’t.’” said Bernette Fondong, a 28-year-old visiting from Atlanta.
Fondong, who has been cosplaying for eight years, came dressed as Marvel’s Scarlet Witch. She attended with her friend Trisha Pilgrim, 28, from Maryland. As a nod to her queer identity, Pilgrim cosplayed as Emporio Ivankov, a gender-bending character in One Piece.
“I just really appreciate that Black women are creating that space and we’re coming out and we’re cosplaying and we’re just creating that space in spite of it all,” Pilgrim said. “We really know how to stand against adversity. I feel like we’re just making it a more accepting culture for women to feel more free in their cosplay and to show up and be here.”
Even outside of the cosplay community, it’s long been considered taboo for Black people to lean into nerd culture. And though there’s been more visibility and acceptance in recent years, there are still few official spaces for Black nerds to gather en masse. For attendees experiencing their first anime convention, like Chantel Green, spaces like Dream Con attract a special energy.
“My first animecon ends up being a Black anime con and it makes me really excited because Black nerds, we just weren’t seen,” said the 31-year-old from Detroit. She dressed as Persephone from Lore Olympus. “For me to come here, I feel truly blessed and I feel happy here.”
Cosplay for Black women has also become an outlet for them to express their creativity with special makeup effects, stitching techniques and hairstyling. And it’s a steadily growing community. Alex Box, 28, was inspired to cosplay by her mother, a costume designer who worked on prom dresses and Princess Tiana gowns. The Houston native valued the bonding time she got to spend with her as she got guidance in making her Elphelt Valentine costume, which took four months to make.
Lanihya Duncan, a 27-year-old from Chicago who studied special effects makeup in college, got into cosplaying after her friend suggested it to her. Now at her second Dream Con, she took pride in her handmade Lulu from Final Fantasy costume, which took her two months to create. For Duncan, spaces like Dream Con allow Black weebs to not have to hide who they are.
“Being Black, it can be hard for people to really show that because [of pressure to] fit in,” she said. “ But Dream Con is like no, you can be both. It’s amazing to embrace because Black cosplayers have that little umph that you can’t see. Who else is gonna be rocking braids, cornrows and afros with a Killua costume?”
Gabrielle Kanu, a 35-year-old Houston native, said cosplaying feels “freeing.” Since 2016, she’s dressed as Sailor Moon, Storm and Sophie Hatter. This year, she’s Dorothy, giving a mix of The Wiz and The Wizard of Oz.
“There’s no trying to codeswitch for anybody. We can be us all the time, every time. You can see the beauty and shapes of everybody around here. I’m a little plump and I’m glad I am and you see everyone else who’s glad of who they are,” she said “It’s kind of like being at an HBCU. It’s literally like a homecoming.”
@_tarynitup Meg teased a new anime she’s making at #DreamCon ♬ original sound – Taryn Finley
During Friday’s event, Meg also announced that she’s making an anime with Prime Video. Though she didn’t go into the details, she revealed that she collaborated with Boondocks producer and voice actor Carl Jones to create it. This marks a major stride for Black women behind the scenes in anime and opens up the genre for newcomers to dip their toe in.
While it’s not on Black women to fix the sexism, homophobia and transphobia they encounter in alternative spaces — or in any spaces for that matter — there’s an intrinsic power we possess in showing up as we are in these types of spaces. For Meg, the public has witnessed her do that time and time again.
“My proudest achievement is staying strong through adversity. I feel like a lot of people in my shoes would have gave up,” she said during the Q&A. “The Hotties have my back.”
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