Megan Thee Stallion talks Tinder's Put Yourself Out There Challenge, being underestimated in college, and how she knew 'it was time' for her debut

• Megan Thee Stallion and Tinder unveiled a new partnership on Wednesday, dubbed the Put Yourself Out There (PYOT) Challenge.
• The dating app is calling for Gen-Z members to "submit profiles that reflect their authentic selves," and the "Body" rapper will help pick 100 people to win $10,000 each.
• In an email to Insider, Megan said she's looking for "spirit" when she selects her winners.
• "You can really see someone's spirit shine through in how they present themselves online," she said. "People underestimate that."
• Megan also discussed her "journey" to true confidence — including contending with skeptics in college, when she began to share rap freestyles — and how she knew it was time to release her debut album.

Megan Thee Stallion unveiled a new partnership with Tinder on Wednesday, designed to inspire Real Hot Girl-levels of confidence and authenticity in online dating.

"I love seeing people express themselves in positive ways," Megan told Insider via email. "I really think it can change the world y'know?"

"I think it's awesome that we can encourage people to be confident in who they are and to put themselves out in the world for others to see," she added. "It's inspiring."

For the Put Yourself Out There (PYOT) Challenge, the dating app is calling for Gen-Z members to "submit profiles that reflect their authentic selves."

"During this year, where meeting new people and developing real connections online has become even more challenging, Tinder found that 57% of members want to show their true selves on Tinder but only 27% feel they actually do so," a Tinder representative told Insider.

Then, Megan will help select the 100 "most inspiring profiles," evaluated by a variety of factors like creativity and originality. Each winner will receive $10,000 for a grand total of $1 million.

In particular, the "Body" rapper told Insider she's looking for "spirit" when she selects her winners.

"You can really see someone's spirit shine through in how they present themselves online," she said. "People underestimate that."

Of course, the 25-year-old chart-topper is known for her spirit and vibrant social presence nearly as much as her music.

Megan began posting rap freestyles while studying health administration at Prairie View A&M University. Her razor-edged, raunchy bars quickly rallied a passionate fanbase, whom she calls "hotties" - though she still had to contend with skeptics and simplistic boxes to fully embody her true self.

"I'm blessed that I've always felt confident in who I am, both inside and out, but it's always a journey for me and I think that's true for everyone," she told Insider.

"When I was at school and balancing my passion for rap and music with pursuing my education, sometimes it was put on me that I could only be one thing, or the other," she continued. "They thought Megan could only do one thing. It took a lot of work to prove that I could do both."

After releasing two critically acclaimed mixtapes (2018's "Tina Snow" and 2019's "Fever"), Megan's signature phrase "hot girl summer" (derived from her oft-used tagline, "real hot girl s---") went viral. It became a gleeful meme and inspired her hit 2019 single of the same name.

In 2020, despite a global pandemic and rarely being able to perform live, Megan truly exploded.

Back in March, her nine-song mixtape "Suga" was already one of the year's best albums. But she went on to release a "Savage" remix with Beyoncé, which has been nominated for three Grammy Awards; her Cardi B collaboration "WAP" spent four weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100; and her official debut album "Good News" finally arrived in November to stellar reviews.

"Quarantine actually forced me to write more and be more focused. I set up a studio in my house and wrote and recorded a lot," she told Insider. "I was able to be creative with few distractions. I just knew it was time, I was ready."

Megan's music oozes with charm and personality - so it makes sense that, when asked to pick her most "Megan" song, the rapper flat-out refused.

"Whew, I can't pick just one!" she replied. "That's like picking your favorite dog!"