Drew Afualo is a popular TikTok who gained 7.5 million followers on Instagram for calling out misogynistic men on TikTok. Known for her iconic laugh and ability to roast men for their brave and usually awful takes, she discusses being a content creator and the backlash she sometimes receives as her videos often go viral.
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Q): First of all, is this your first convention?
A): Yes, it is actually. It’s my first convention ever as a creator, and then it’s also my first VidCon ever. So it’s very exciting.
Q) Have you gotten to meet other people that you haven’t met yet?
A): I’ve met quite a few of my mutuals that I haven’t gotten to meet in real life because they don’t live in California. So I’ve met quite a few of them. And it’s been really, really fun, and super cool to meet them in real life. Everyone’s just as amazing in person as they are online. So that’s a relief.
Q) Do you think right now that there’s like some sort of mobilization that we have to do online, especially with a voice and an audience like yours?
A): I feel like this issue, as divisive as it has been in government, is pretty indicative of where you fall when it comes to morality in general. So if your favorite creator hasn’t said anything at all, I feel like that’s pretty telling, right? So you know which side they’re on. Even if they’re playing the fence, like, let’s say they just don’t want to post about it, because they don’t like to talk about politics. This has nothing to do with politics. This has to do with human rights, you should have an opinion on that, as a human existing in this world. In this western society, you should have an opinion on that. Obviously, social media is a very powerful tool.
Q) Have you found a common theme that is just constantly coming through with these people?
A) For me if it doesn’t concern you if it doesn’t pay you for this and keep the roof over your head, it’s none of your business. But I have like, getting involved in the business of women and others is like their biggest downfall. Like you were just constantly sticking your nose in other people’s business-like, mine, the business that pays you bags is what I always say, like, that is all-encompassing, that could, that could swap over many different areas. Like that’s literally like sexual history, sexuality in general, how you choose to dress, makeup, what you do for work, whether or not you want kids, like encompasses everything that women are constantly, like, held under a microscope to, so mind your business is, is basically my thing. People aren’t minding their business, and I think you should start is
Q): Have you had people that you’ve had to go past having a conversation online? Is there anything that people don’t see behind the scenes?
A) I mean, there’s a fair amount of backlash that comes with the nature, the very nature of the content that I do. They don’t really, they’re not the biggest fans. So there is a fair amount of safety precautions that I do take when it comes to the content that I make. There are many things that I don’t share with my audience that I go through because of what it is I do. Yeah, and it’s because that’s not my job. My job is to entertain. My job is to keep you informed. It’s to uplift you, it’s to empower you, and it’s not to burden you with my own trials and tribulations. Does that mean that I don’t go through them? No.
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