As a result of Lanez’s social media activities and popular male rappers turning on Megan, popular hip hop blogs and fan accounts joined them, spewing a seemingly endless deluge of misinformation about the trial. In her essay in Elle, Megan recounted falling into a depression, wondering “if people even cared anymore” and, through it all, “smiling through the pain, still posting on social media, still performing, still dancing, and still releasing music.” Heartbreakingly, she wrote that at the start of this “it never crossed my mind that people wouldn’t believe me.”

The case against Lanez was brought forward by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office. As Megan noted in her essay she was the one who wanted to handle the situation privately. Still, she was framed as “falsely accusing” Lanez and purposefully trying to hurt him for clout and vengeance. When women come forward about the abuse they’ve faced, the public’s response has increasingly relied on tactics of gaslighting and humiliation. Prior to Megan’s trial, Amber Heard was widely mocked and inaccurately framed as her ex-husband’s crazy abuser over the course of a highly publicized trial. Photos of Heard crying at the stand were converted into cruel memes; brands, celebrities, and influencers openly supported Johnny Depp and made Heard the butt of online jokes.

Ultimately, Megan wrote about Lanez’s guilty verdict as a turning point, characterizing it as “more than just vindication for me” but “a victory for every woman who has ever been shamed, dismissed, and blamed for a violent crime committed against them.” Through all the highs and lows of the last three years, the rapper says she’s healing—and continuing to advocate for women and survivors. “As a society, we must create safer environments for women to come forward about violent behavior without fear of retaliation,” she wrote. “We must provide stronger resources for women to recover from these tragedies physically and emotionally, without fear of judgment.”