Dylan Mulvaney addresses social media fans for first time since ‘loud’ Bud Light controversy
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April 28, 2023 | 03:43
Dylan Mulvaney returned to Instagram following the mass outrage over her partnership with Bud Light.
The transgender influencer, 26, sparked outrage among critics after being signed to represent the beer brand in a March Madness contest and has since kept her distance from Instagram.
Taking to Instagram on Thursday, Mulvaney explained why she was “offline for a few weeks”[ads1]; as backlash against the branding deal intensified.
“A lot has been said about me,” she said in a clip shared with her 1.8 million followers on the platform. “Some of them are so far from my truth that I heard my name and I didn’t know who they were talking about sometimes.
“It was so loud that I didn’t even feel like part of the conversation, so I decided to take a back seat.”
The company has been largely tight-lipped since April 1, when the social media star swigged Bud Light and displayed a commemorative can with her photo on it to celebrate her first year as a woman.
But the brand’s controversial marketing mix ultimately resulted in declining demand, with Bud Light trailing other light beers by 6% in bars and restaurants.
Overall, Bud Light’s volume fell 34.7% at bars, restaurants and other locations between April 2 and April 15, according to BeerBoard.
Several restaurants and bars have stopped serving the beer brand entirely in their establishments.
Mulvaney said she’s “fine,” but noted that being called “too feminine and over the top” makes her feel like she was a child.
“But this time it’s from other adults,” she said. “And if they’re going to accuse me of anything, it should be that I’m a theater person and that I’m camp. But this is just my personality, and it always has been.”
“What I struggle to understand is the need to dehumanize and be cruel. Dehumanization has never fixed anything in history, said the influencer, who revealed her transition in a March 2022 TikTok video.
“I grew up in a conservative family and I am extremely privileged because they still love me very much. And I grew up in the church, and I still have my faith, which I’m really trying to hold on to right now,” she said, adding that she’s “always tried to love everybody, even the people who make it very, very difficult. “
Mulvaney, who did not mention Bud Light in the post, said she is shifting her focus to the people “who know me and my heart will not listen to that noise.”
“The good news is that people who enjoy me have almost died because there’s obviously no way to win over everyone. But if you are still around. I am also.”
