Everyone has an opinion about Dylan Mulvaney. The author and internet megastar, who shot to fame through her ‘Days of Girlhood’ TikTok series, can elicit vein-popping responses with just a selfie. How? By existing joyfully as a transgender woman (no mean feat in today’s hostile political climate).
Dylan is an unwilling, but not ungracious, figurehead within the culture wars. Her most infamous foray into the conflict started with a can of Bud Light. In her new memoir, Paper Doll: Notes From a Late Bloomer, Dylan dubs the resulting backlash ‘Beergate’, describing it as “some of the worst levels of transphobia” she’d ever received. An innocuous sponsored post triggered a fevered boycott of Bud Light, with sales dropping by nearly 30% and several factories having to shut down due to bomb threats.
How does anyone come back from that? Ask Dylan Mulvaney. In the two years since the worst of the boycott, she’s performed a one-woman musical comedy at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, released her debut single, and, of course, written her memoir, Paper Doll. In her GLAMOUR Unfiltered interview, she talks about surviving the Bud Light boycott, her relationship with femininity, and her message to the LGBTQIA+ community.
GLAMOUR: What makes you feel most empowered as a woman?
Dylan Mulvaney: What makes me feel the most empowered is when I stand up for myself, which isn’t always often, but when I do, I’m generally quite proud of how I navigate advocating for me. It usually isn’t with fighting words, even though sometimes I am tempted.
What’s the best and worst thing about being a woman in the public eye?
The best part is when I’m feeling really pretty, and I’m feeling myself, and I get to share that euphoria with millions of people. And the worst part is when I’m not feeling myself, and yet I’m being perceived, or people feel entitled to things that I’m not ready to share.
How do you deal with online trolls?
I generally stage imaginary fights with them while I’m in the shower. And then, by the time I get out of the shower and back on my phone, I usually have worn myself out enough not to attack back.
In Paperdoll, you write about the moment your dad first referred to you as his daughter. How did that make you feel?
I just felt so grateful for his support and I didn’t think I’d ever have that. It made me realise that just because I wasn’t able to live my life fully early on, that didn’t mean that I wouldn’t be able to live it now. And I just love my dad. Hi, dad!
Did transitioning change how you view sexism in society?
Absolutely. I lived my life being perceived as a gay feminine man for a number of years, and I would never claim that I have a full grasp on the nuances of sexism in relationship to womanhood, especially this early on in my transition. But I’ve watched, and I’ve learned, and unfortunately, have experienced quite a bit of toxic sexism even in my short time. And I can only imagine what it would be like for someone to endure that for their entire life.