Brands should want me for me, not just for being trans
Dylan Mulvaney said in a new interview that she doesn’t want brands to hire her as a spokesperson just to “check a box” off because she’s transgender — instead, they should turn to her because “I’m Dylan.”
The 26-year-old influencer — who rose to fame chronicling her gender transition, and incurred widespread wrath from far-right critics after her partnership with Bud Light — told Bustle that she doesn’t want a brand to hire her for the sake of diversity.
“A lot of brands will ask, ‘Could you relate a little bit of your struggle growing up into this?’ Like, no! If you want me, you want me because I’m Dylan, not because I’m trans,” she told the outlet in the interview published Thursday.
“That’s when you know they were just trying to check a box,” Mulvaney said.
She said she also grappled with what type of spokesperson she should be — or whether she should be one at all.
“If I enter too much into the activist space or too far into politics where I’m not ready, I could misspeak or I could, you know, give information that’s not correct,” she said.
“I don’t want us to take a step back — I don’t want to be the reason for that. So, I want to push forward with my strong suit, which is showing trans joy, which is showing empathy, which is showing all the good there is in the community, and, of course, entertaining people,” Mulvaney added.
On Thursday, the influencer returned to Instagram following the backlash over her partnership with the beer brand.
“A lot has been said about me,” she said in a clip shared with her 1.8 million followers on the platform. “Some of which is so far from my truth that I was hearing my name and I didn’t know who they were talking about sometimes.
“It was so loud that I didn’t even feel part of the conversation so I decided to take the backseat,” she added.
Meanwhile, Mulvaney told Bustle said she remains in a kind of “professionally trans” limbo in which she’s treated as a poster child for transness itself.
“I’ve got all these right-wing news sources using everything against me that they can,” she said.
What we know about Dylan Mulvaney
Who is Dylan Mulvaney?
Dylan Mulvaney is a 26-year-old transgender influencer, who documented her transition from male to female on TikTok beginning in March 2021. Mulvaney has capitalized on the popularity of TikTok as well as companies trying to promote diversity.
What is the controversy surrounding Mulvaney?
Recently, Bud Light partnered with Mulvaney, sending her cans featuring her face and sparking a major “controversy” on the internet.
Mulvaney has reportedly earned over $1 million from endorsements, including fashion and beauty brands such as Kate Spade, Ulta Beauty, Haus Labs and CeraVe. Mulvaney also has a partnership with Nike, which critics have called “a slap to the face.”
How did the public respond to the partnership?
Since news broke about the partnership, many celebrities have taken to social media to share their opinions on the matter, with some calling for a boycott of all Anheuser-Busch drinks.
One such celeb was Kid Rock, who posted a video of him opening fire on Bud Light cans in retaliation.
Country music star Travis Tritt tweeted: “I will be deleting all Anheuser-Busch products from my tour hospitality rider. I know many other artists who are doing the same.”
As Megyn Kelly addressed the controversy, she was called out by viewers for what was dubbed a “transphobic tirade.”
What was Anheuser-Busch’s response to the backlash?
Anheuser-Busch defended its decision to enlist Mulvaney as a Bud Light brand influencer Monday in the face of growing backlash.
Anheuser-Busch said the cans with Mulvaney’s face on them were a personal gift and that she’s among hundreds of influencers with whom the company partners.
Learn more about Dylan Mulvaney
She said because of the media attention, she strives to be an example of a family-friendly entertainer.
“I actually think it’s very special that parents are allowing their kids to follow me, so I want to maintain that relationship as much as I can,” Mulvaney said.
“Everything I have, I’ve found by telling people what I want or who I am or what direction I want to take. People listen,” she added.
The Bud Light controversy erupted when the company sent Mulvaney custom-made cans featuring her face to help promote its March Madness contest.
It initially defended the partnership but later issued a half-hearted apology to its loyal customers — and suffered a massive sales hit and calls for a boycott, including from singers Travis Tritt, John Rich, and Kid Rock, who used several cases of Bud Light for target practice.
Two of the embattled company’s top execs have been placed on leave amid the controversy — Daniel Blake, who oversees marketing for Anheuser-Busch’s mainstream brands, and Alissa Heinerscheid, the brewer’s VP of marketing who was behind the ill-fated campaign.
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