Drew Afualo doesn’t care what you think about her — but you already knew that. On social media, the 30-year-old content creator has amassed millions of followers for not only her takedowns of misogynistic men, but also for her authentic, unbridled confidence. “I’ve had hubris as long as I can remember, girl,” Afualo tells Her Campus. “I’ve just always believed that I was unbelievably awesome — that’s never been a detraction on anyone else, and it’s never been in spite of anyone. It’s literally just that I believe I’m so uniquely and singularly awesome, and I believe that about everybody else as well.”
If a man is spewing misogynistic, sexist rhetoric on TikTok, there’s a chance Afualo has stitched their video and taken them down with razor-sharp insults, punctuated with her signature laugh. And while challenging a patriarchal worldview has earned her a massive fanbase, a podcast, and a spot on the New York Times bestseller list, it hasn’t come without negativity.
If anyone is built to handle it, though, it’s Afualo. “It can be hard to believe, but I genuinely don’t give a f*ck what random men think about me,” she says. “As many opps as I have on the internet, for as much ire as they push towards me, it’s equal and doubled from my end. I do not care what men think of me. That has never factored to me.”
For women, and [marginalized people], it’s been ingrained and pushed on us for centuries that we are never doing enough. Like, we have to get their validation to be loved, to be liked, to succeed. That’s not true.
A part of that is just natural confidence, of course. But the other? It’s who Afualo chooses to surround herself with. Over the years, the content creator has built friendships with other internet creators — most notably, Caleb Hearon and Britany Broski — who support one another in the sometimes-volatile internet landscape. “It’s really encouraging to see people in their 30s genuinely forming friendships and community with each other,” she says. “This made-up job that we all have has kind of pushed us all into the same corner.”
Afualo also says her sister, Daison, and partner, Pili, are major support systems when it comes to channeling her confidence even further. “With my sister, I think it shows people how far sibling love goes, and how deep and emotional it can be,” she says. “[And] with my partner, him loving me as outspoken — and, I guess, ‘mean’ — as I am on the internet is proof that it’s a lie and a fallacy when men say that you have to shrink to be loved.”
Because for Afualo, it isn’t just about roasting men for entertainment; it’s reminding her audience to stay true to themselves and their worth. “For women, and [marginalized people], it’s been ingrained and pushed on us for centuries that we are never doing enough,” Afualo explains. “Like, we have to get their validation to be loved, to be liked, to succeed. That’s not true.”
Decentering the need for validation, especially from men, is a major aspect of Afualo’s newest venture: a partnership with Gillette Venus to promote their Pubic Hair & Skin Razor. “The men who hate me, that do happen to be balding, they would hate to know how thick the hair grows [down there],” Afualo laughs. “I’ll tell you that much.”
Afualo says Gillette’s focus on different types of hair and skin needs — which, as a female Pacific Islander, she experiences firsthand — was something that drew her to the collaboration. “My hair grows in at different angles,” she says. “So the way that the razor glides and can, like, not give me any sort of irritating bumps or anything? It’s a dream.”
However, Afualo’s collaboration isn’t just about shaving below the belt — it’s about having agency over your body, and feeling comfortable and confident in it, whether you’re fully shaved or not. “If I could rock a full bush, I would — I got a real thick piece down there, so I have to shave,” Afualo says. “I think that’s the center point of my intersectional feminism, which is the right to choose.”
In a world full of rules about what a woman “should” look like, Afualo is more interested in cutting through the noise. “Ask yourself, ‘Do I like to shave? Would I rather have a full bush?’” she says. “As long as you choose and you love it, that’s all that matters.”
And that choice extends far beyond a razor: it’s in what you wear, how you show up, and whether you let yourself take up space without apology. Because for Afualo, confidence isn’t something you’ve “earned” by grooming your body or receiving validation from someone else — it’s something you decide. “The most beautiful body is a confident one,” she says. “So, just be that. All you need is to just be confident.”