Drew Afualo is an internet sensation who has taken over TikTok with her unapologetic personality and unwavering confidence in male-dominated fields. With her recent appearance as a guest in FSU’s Golden Torch Lecture series of speakers, Afualo’s influence on young women making their way into the workforce has continued to grow, becoming a tidal wave of self-acceptance and a deeper understanding of how misogyny has held women back, but not anymore.
One of Afualo’s central philosophies is challenging men’s dominance in the world of media.
During her lecture at FSU, Afualo stated, “Female demographics move units, women determine what’s popular, women determine what succeeds, women determine who’s the most famous.”
In an age where digital media has become one of the highest-grossing forms of entertainment, information, and communication, Afualo ensures that her presence is anything but forgettable. Through her bold and harsh commentary, she uses her hot takes to argue that men need to take a step down from the pedestal they put themselves on.
Digital media platforms have always been notorious for how difficult they are to break into. Most creators go the route of trying to “appeal” to the masses, but Afualo has a different approach. What makes her stand out from the crowd in the endless number of influencers that pop up on TikTok’s For You Page is her engagement with comments.
Her rise to fame comes from her reactions to men who share their misogynistic takes online, her iconic high-pitched laugh being almost like a calling card to her breaking down their takes and, essentially, ripping them apart. Afualo is by no means apologetic when it comes to her take-downs of misogynistic views, because she understands that to be harsh is to be heard, even if people don’t like you for it.
Afualo’s social media presence spans several platforms, including podcasts, YouTube videos, books, and TikTok, each contributing to how she reaches her audience. Her podcasts, The Comment Section With Drew Afualo and Two Idiot Girls, each show how Afualo and her guest stars tackle hardships such as misogyny, racism, and bigotry in their respective areas.
During her lecture at FSU, Afualo answers a question that refers to how she manages getting opportunities in mainstream media and the struggle of losing those jobs to more “appealing” influencers.
“The opportunities that have been offered to me have been slow, and there have been times I’ve gotten a huge gig, I did a great job, next year, [they] give it to a white person,” Afualo said.
Afualo’s dynamic with the internet has opened doors for others who didn’t know if they could break through that environment. The internet can be scary, especially with how people’s opinions on others have become so much more aggressive.
Digital media has always underappreciated women for the work that they contribute, and, as Afualo quoted before, women essentially make the media world go around, through female influencers on TikTok to female musical stars and actresses that cross our screens, women dominate almost every aspect of today’s global digital media presence.
Unfortunately, with these stats comes hate, and lots of it, but Afualo pushes through the hate of her own comment section and those who try to silence her opinions to help women understand their worth and the focus on decentralizing men from their lives and their careers.
Many people might only see Drew Afualo as a one-dimensional, male-hating, ultra-feminist, but that’s because they don’t understand that women are just finally standing up for themselves, and they’re just mad that she’s not being delicate about it.
The struggles and disadvantages that come with trying to break into the digital media presence will always be there for women, but with Afualo’s motivation and her thought process of never letting a man tell you what you can or can’t accomplish, women continue to achieve their goals in mainstream media.
Want to see more HCFSU? Be sure to follow us on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and Pinterest!