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Content creator, podcaster, and author Drew Afualo visited Florida State University on March 4 for the final Golden Torch Lecture Series of the year. Club Downunder hosted her as the “champion of the underrepresented” in Ruby Diamond Concert Hall.
Human Development and Family Science assistant teaching professor Dania Tawfiq moderated the lecture. The discussion was followed by preselected student questions. Topics ranged from the omnipresence of the patriarchy to the elements of the entertainment industry that do not make the final edit.
For students like political science major Peyton Feeley, the lecture’s atmosphere provided a sense of community.
“The lecture was comforting; to be in a room with so many like-minded people who believe in Drew’s platform was empowering,” Feeley said. “It reminded me of the joys of being a woman and all that comes with it, rather than focusing only on the not-so-glamorous side. For the hour and a half that Drew spoke, it felt as if she was lifting us up, explaining to us how not to let anyone dim our light and to live loud.”
The ‘No-BS’ approach to social media fame
Afualo amassed her following through videos she posted in response to the misogynistic comments left under her content. Her iconic laugh became a calling card for the debunking of prejudiced men.
Afualo, known as the defender of women online, branched out to other platforms with the debut of her podcast, “The Comment Section with Drew Afualo.” On the show, she hosts guests ranging from fellow influencers to pop stars from marginalized communities. Afualo also hosts the podcast “Two Idiot Girls” with her sister, Deison Afualo.
Afualo has continued to leave a mark on the internet through her friendship with influencers and comedians Brittany Broski and Caleb Hearon. The trio’s episodes on each of their respective podcasts have yielded some of the most iconic references among their respective audiences.
“He’s not here,” Afualo said to the audience after the crowd erupted into applause at the mention of Hearon’s podcast. “Tonight’s about me.”
A New York Times bestseller on the red carpet
Afualo added New York Times bestseller to her achievements following the release of her debut memoir, “Loud: Accept Nothing Less Than the Life You Deserve.” The author has also broken into the entertainment industry, hosting red carpets for some of the pop culture’s most prominent events.
As a multihyphenate creator, Afualo has garnered extensive experience as an influencer and within the entertainment industry. Her self-proclaimed “Virgo tendency” for meticulous planning and her understanding that social media is not permanent have allowed her to cultivate an adaptable career. The strategy has built a following willing to adjust in stride with her various projects.
Afualo echoed long-standing concerns regarding the pitfalls of maintaining an internet personality. She noted that social media is inherently more intimate than typical fame, often creating a para-social relationship between followers and creators.
Followers frequently feel entitled to every detail of an influencer’s life. Afualo noted that this pressure often causes creators to share less on their platforms to protect their privacy. She explained how she deciphers what to share with her audience and what to keep for herself.
“This sounds so crass, but if I don’t want to. That’s my gauge: If I don’t want to tell [my audience], I’m not going to,” Afualo said to the audience. “That’s because it’s mine; it’s not yours, it’s mine. I’m letting you look and gaze from afar.”
Unlearning the patriarchy and seeking transparency
A throughline of the lecture was a discussion of behaviors women are often taught to tolerate but should instead unlearn. Afualo’s primary advice was to never tolerate disrespect in romantic, professional, or everyday situations.
Afualo acknowledged that this is easier said than done. She explained that individuals must give up the desire to be liked, especially by those who are disrespectful. By overcoming this ingrained desire, Afualo believes women can leave situations that do not serve them or are actively harmful.
“The most valuable piece of advice she gave is to never settle,” marketing major MacKenzie Oh said to the FSView. “She especially stressed this point to the girls in the audience, and I felt that this was something everyone needs to hear when they are beginning their career/life on their own.”
Breaking through an industry and being ‘too big to ignore’
When discussing misogyny, Afualo shared a few NDA-approved anecdotes of the difficulties she faced breaking into the entertainment industry. She said the nature of her platform often discouraged executives from inviting her into the space until she became “too big to ignore.”
Afualo described a missed career opportunity where executives believed her presence would isolate men. She asserted that this claim was inconsequential due to the significant impact women have on the entertainment industry.
Afualo told the audience it is ironic to be excluded from projects to avoid isolating men. She also said that men do not determine the financial success or quality of entertainment.
“Men aren’t even at the apex of that s—. It’s women,” Afualo said. “Women are the ones who determine it, so it’s ironic, and you would not cast me in something like that because you don’t want to isolate men; meanwhile, you would mobilize a billion times more women, which is more powerful.”
Sacrifices of notoriety and advice for the 20s
When a student asked for advice on pursuing notoriety, Afualo offered a poignant message about the sacrifices required by large-scale recognition. She encouraged aspiring content creators to discern if they are willing to relinquish parts of themselves.
“I don’t think the Illuminati is real; now that I’m in here, I know for a fact it ain’t real — at least not in the way you guys think,” Afualo said. “What I do think is real, though, is the premise of the Illuminati is that you had to sell your soul to get rich and famous. In this you have to sacrifice a piece of yourself, you will never get it back and it is awful. Letting go of that was really f—ing hard for me and it still is even now.”
Afualo spoke highly of being 30 throughout the lecture, citing her 20s as a time for stumbling and figuring things out. Many student questions related to falling behind or feeling lost, and Afualo shared advice she received at 23 to encourage the audience.
“Some of you may get lucky and find your purpose in your 20s, but for the most part you are still going to figure it out all throughout, all the way till the end,” Afualo said. “You just have more than enough time. Just chill out; enjoy it.”
Raquelle Elson is the Arts & Culture Editor for the FSView & Florida Flambeau, the student-run, independent online news service for the FSU community. Email our staff at [email protected].
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‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.fsunews.com ’
