Drew Apualo said She is not at a loss for words. On the topic of idiot men getting turned on by shaming women online—nagging about their weight, their clothes, their body measurements (when it comes to sexual partners)—she is actually I won’t keep my mouth shut.
Here’s why her fans and detractors keep coming back: Since Afualo began slamming men on TikTok in 2020 for their sloppy, anti-feminist behavior, she’s become a household name among Gen Zers thanks to her classy, laser-focused, almost Shakespearean tongue-in-cheek style.
As a host Comments Section On Spotify’s podcast, Apualo is adamant about where she stands and who she stands with. She says her platform has no place for men. “As someone who makes a living by exterminating these human cockroaches on the internet with pesticides, I always say I have the most aggressive form of job security,” she writes in her new memoir, Manifesto. Loud: Don’t accept anything less than what you deserveJuly 30, “Because men will never stop behaving horribly, and I will never stop blaming them. I sleep soundly at night on the mattresses those bitches bought me.”
The formula works. Afualo is everywhere now. She has 8 million followers on TikTok, 1 million on Instagram, and, perhaps most proudly, she lives rent-free in the hearts of Logan Paul-loving podcasters who feel threatened by women’s empowerment. Over the phone from Los Angeles, we talked about her family’s influence, how humor works, and why she’s not overly concerned about TikTok being banned.
Jason Parram: If you don’t mind, let’s start with the biggest news of the week. Vice President Kamala Harris has announced her candidacy for president and is considered a leading Democratic candidate. What do you think?
Drew Apulo: I’m hopeful. I think every woman in power is a win for women everywhere. It’s very exciting.
I’ve heard a lot Kamala can’t do it. She’s not ready. Why do you think some people find it difficult to believe that a woman could become president?
Perhaps it is the same reason that patriarchy has convinced most people that women can’t do anything without the help of men. But if you trace all the problems in the world back to their roots, they always come from men. I don’t know, but if men have created all the problems in the world, why do people think women are incompetent?
You are involved in similar topics loud. In a chapter titled “It’s Okay to Be Mean,” you write, “Since the advent of social media, the Internet has become a minefield for anyone who isn’t a cisgender, heterosexual, white male.” I was joking with a friend recently, and I sometimes wondered if the first lie of social media was that everyone deserves a voice online. So many platforms have become hotbeds of hate.
People I sew with [on TikTok] “Well, maybe not” is a pretty good example of that. For me, the Internet has its beauty and its curse. It’s wonderful that so many people find community and connection through the Internet and that it can reach so many people, including myself.
