Dylan Mulvaney Ready to Shine after ‘2 Months of Fear and Hiding’
It’s been a rocky few months for trans influencer, Dylan Mulvaney. It all started when Mulvaney was featured in a
Ivy Griffith
It’s been a rocky few months for trans influencer, Dylan Mulvaney.
It all started when Mulvaney was featured in a social media promotion for Bud Light on April 1.
It was a simple ad, with little fanfare – but the wildfire it sparked would soon consume the corporate world.
Conservative commentators and celebrities called for consumers to boycott Bud Light after the team-up, and their actions had a nearly immediate and measurable impact.
Sales of Bud Light slumped, and Anheuser-Busch found itself at the center of a cultural firestorm.
View this post on Instagram
At the beginning of May, the company announced that two of their executives would take a leave of absence and that they would henceforth be focusing marketing on sports and music, seemingly washing their hands of the cultural impacts of their decision to back down.
As a result, Mulvaney – who has nearly 11 million followers on TikTok alone – was thrust into the spotlight of the controversy, and was hounded by trolls both online and in person who felt threatened by her presence in a traditionally binary and masculine space.
In May, Mulvaney told Rosie O’Donnell that she feels she’s “an easy target,” she said, “because I’m still new to this.”
“I think going after a trans woman that’s been doing this for like 20 years is a lot more difficult.”
Apparently, the influencer has been feeling the backlash even more keenly than she’s let on through social media.
In a new post, Mulvaney shares a video of herself looking uncertain and rumpled.
The video reads, “*2 months of fear and hiding because of transphobes.*”
But then, the video cuts to a fully made up and dolled up Mulvaney, which reads, “PRIDE MONTH.”
A grinning Mulvaney, in a matching bedazzled blue mini-dress and boots (a la 1965), captioned the video, “JUNE 1ST HAS ME FEELIN GOOD.”
@dylanmulvaneyJUNE 1ST HAS ME FEELIN GOOD
And it’s good to see her smile return, knowing the hate and threats she has likely been subjected two for two long months now.
Fans in the comments seemed to agree.
One wrote, “Hi! I’m a young trans person and I just wanted to say that you’ve made me a lot more comfortable in who I am. Thank you, truly :).”
Another fan added, “Dylan it would be a huge smile and gift to me if you said hiya! I adore you and your content and I’m trans too! love ya!”
And another wrote, “Celebrating my very first pride month at 29 fully accepting myself bc of you and others who are a constant inspiration 💕 scared but excited!”
Mulvaney, per her usual MO, responded to multiple comments with supportive replies.
Mulvaney may be a polarizing figure for conservatives, but her social media presence is filled with positivity, inclusion and support.
It’s hard to square her good feelings content with the hate thrown her way, but Mulvaney is finding a way to rise above it all – even the worst of it.
With Pride month here, Mulvaney is ready to return to doing what she does best – lifting people up and making them smile.