Dylan Mulvaney Speaks After Bud Light Backlash

Trans influencer says she's 'OK,' but is troubled by her critics' 'need to dehumanize' her
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 28, 2023 12:47 PM CDT
Dylan Mulvaney Speaks After Bud Light Backlash
Dylan Mulvaney arrives at the Grammy Awards on Feb. 5 in Los Angeles.   (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

The brouhaha over Anheuser-Busch's Bud Light promo involving transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney has put two executives on leave and spurred conservatives to get on the boycott train. Mulvaney herself has been quiet throughout, but on Thursday, the 26-year-old actor took to Instagram after being "offline for a few weeks" to offer her take. "A lot has been said about me," Mulvaney says in her post, per Today. "Some of which is so far from my truth that I was ... hearing my name and I didn't even know who they were talking about sometimes."

Mulvaney says she's doing "OK," but she notes that the controversy has brought her back to her childhood, when other kids would tell her she was being acting too much like a girl. "This time it's from other adults," she says, adding: "This is just my personality and it always has been." Mulvaney says she doesn't understand the "need to dehumanize" her, though she feels lucky to be able to lean on her faith and family, which she describes as "conservative."

"I've always tried to love everyone, even the people that make it really, really hard," she says. "The good news is that the people pleaser in me has nearly died, because there's clearly no way of winning over everyone." Meanwhile, another big company has caught right-wingers' attention due to its own ties with Mulvaney. CBS News reports that Maybelline is now feeling the heat for its sponsorship with the influencer, who last month put up a clip showing her "getting glam" with eyeshadow, lipstick, and other products made by the cosmetic giant. Maybelline hasn't yet commented. The New York Post notes that Mulvaney has partnership deals with other companies, including Nike, OkCupid, and KitchenAid. (More Dylan Mulvaney stories.)

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