If you’re on TikTok, you probably know who Dylan Mulvaney is. And if you’re not on TikTok, you probably know who Dylan Mulvaney is. But if for some reason you don’t know one of the most popular trans influencers and advocates, consider this your comprehensive guide to everything Ms. Mulvaney.
Who is Dylan Mulvaney?
Dylan Mulvaney was born on December 29, 1996 in San Diego, California. She studied Musical Theater at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and after graduating, eventually landed a major role as Elder White in The Book of Mormon. She toured with the production across Canada, the United States, and Mexico until the pandemic put a pause on the production. During that time, Mulvaney started making TikTok videos and in March of 2022, began chronicling her transition in a video diary series called “Days of Girlhood.” Mulvaney’s candid documentation and musings on her experiences coming out and receiving gender-affirming care (including facial feminization surgery, which culminated in a face reveal post by Mulvaney) quickly earned her a huge following on the platform, over 10 million and counting.
As Mulvaney’s fame grew, sponsors started lining up. The social media influencer quickly snagged deals with Bud Light, Nike and Maybelline, among many others. But not everyone was happy about it.
Dylan Mulvaney’s Controversies: Bud Light, Nike and Maybelline
Unfortunately, controversy seems to follow Mulvaney as right-wingers jump at any opportunity to harass and mock the transgender influencer and boycott whoever partners with her. When Tampax partnered with Mulvaney and gave her tampons to give away, some anti-trans critics were upset that the company would work with someone who doesn’t menstruate.
But that’s far from Mulvaney’s only controversy. Anheuser-Busch partnered with Mulvaney for their “Easy Carry Contest,” which involved Mulvaney sharing an Instagram video of herself cracking a cold beer and showing off a special can of Bud Light with her face on it that the company sent to celebrate the one-year anniversary of Mulvaney’s transition. Anti-trans conservatives took to social media to boycott the beer and criticize Bud Light and Mulvaney. Kid Rock even posted a video of himself in a MAGA hat shooting Bud Light beer cans. Yikes. Has he considered therapy?
“It must’ve been a slow news week because the way that this ad got blown up, you would’ve thought I was, like, on a billboard or on a TV commercial or something major,” Mulvaney said in an Instagram video response. “But no, it was just an Instagram video.”
In the same video, Mulvaney criticized Anheuser-Busch for not reaching out to her. “For a company to hire a trans person and then not publicly stand by them is worse, in my opinion, than not hiring a trans person at all,” she said. “Because it gives customers permission to be as transphobic and hateful as they want and the hate doesn’t end with me, it has serious and grave consequences for the rest of our community,” she added.
Mulvaney faced more transphobic backlash for her partnership with Nike in which she posted photos of herself in one of the company’s sports bras. Shortly thereafter, on the HBO show Real Time, Bill Maher and his guests, Piers Morgan and Democratic Congresswoman from California Katie Porter, discussed Mulvaney’s sponsorships and the backlash. While Porter argued that transgender peoples’ rights are being attacked, Morgan replied by wondering whether trans rights “erode or destroy the rights of women to equality, too.” Morgan also (unsurprisingly) misgendered Mulvaney during the discussion.
Similarly, when the TikTok star was sponsored by Maybelline and posted a video of herself “going glam” using their makeup, conservatives tried to boycott their products as well. It’s like, get a hobby.
Dylan Mulvaney Beyond the Drama
Of course, Mulvaney’s life isn’t entirely filled with toxic conservative drama. She interviewed President Joe Biden about trans rights for NowThis News, raised nearly $200k for the Trevor Project, and was named Attitude’s very first Woman of the Year.
As far as what the future holds for Mulvaney, she’s dreaming big! At a Teen Vogue panel, Mulvaney revealed she’d love to work on a romantic comedy centered around trans people finding love, as well as a version of Legally Blonde with transgender people. But whatever Mulvaney pursues, content creation will always be a part of her life. At the same panel, she shared that she plans to keep creating content and carefully choosing who she collaborates with.
