Dylan Mulvaney's Beer-Drinking Habits: Explored And Explained

Dylan Mulvaney is an American social media personality and transgender woman who rose to fame on TikTok with her video series, Days of Girlhood, in which she detailed her gender transition. In April 2023, Mulvaney partnered with Bud Light to promote their Easy Carry Contest during the NCAA's March Madness college basketball tournament. The collaboration sparked a fierce backlash from conservatives, who called for a boycott of the beer brand for featuring a transgender woman in their marketing campaign. The controversy led to public figures such as Kid Rock and former Fox News host Megyn Kelly joining the boycott and even destroying Bud Light products in protest. Despite the backlash, Mulvaney continued to share her journey and used her platform to address the right wing's need to dehumanize and to be cruel.

Dylan Mulvaney's Bud Light promotion

In April 2023, Dylan Mulvaney, a prominent transgender TikTok influencer, promoted Bud Light beer in a sponsored Instagram video. The video was posted during the NCAA's March Madness college basketball tournament and featured Mulvaney dressed up as Audrey Hepburn, goofing around with the theme. This promotion was part of Anheuser-Busch's "Easy Carry Contest," which offered customers a chance to win $15,000 by uploading videos of themselves carrying as many cans of beer as possible.

To commemorate Mulvaney's one-year anniversary of her gender transition, Anheuser-Busch sent her a special can of Bud Light with her face on it and the message, "Cheers to 365 Days of Being a Woman," referencing her "Days of Girlhood" TikTok series. Mulvaney shared this commemorative can with her Instagram followers, sparking a backlash and calls for a boycott of the brand by conservatives.

The collaboration between Mulvaney and Bud Light caused an uproar among right-wingers, who targeted both the influencer and the beer brand. This incident reflects the ongoing tensions surrounding transgender visibility and acceptance in the United States. Despite the controversy, Anheuser-Busch defended their partnership with Mulvaney, stating that they work with various influencers to connect with diverse audiences.

The backlash included violent responses, such as videos of people destroying Bud Light products and even a video of musician Kid Rock shooting cases of the beer with a rifle. The boycott calls and intense criticism directed at Mulvaney and Bud Light highlight the challenges faced by companies navigating the complex landscape of political and social issues in their marketing campaigns.

Despite the negative response from some conservatives, Mulvaney has continued to share her journey and advocate for LGBTQ+ rights. She celebrated her first anniversary of transitioning with a cabaret show, "Dylan Mulvaney's Day 365 Live!" which also raised funds for The Trevor Project, an organisation supporting LGBTQ+ youth.

Kid Rock's violent response

In April 2023, Kid Rock posted a violent response to Bud Light's collaboration with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. In the video, the rapper is seen wearing a baseball cap with the acronym MAGA (Make America Great Again) and holding an assault rifle. He then proceeds to shoot at several cases of Bud Light, with liquid pouring out of the bursting cases. The video ends with Kid Rock raising his middle finger and shouting obscenities directed at the beer brand and its parent company, Anheuser-Busch.

The violent response from Kid Rock received widespread criticism and backlash. Trans advocates spoke out against the video, with Susie Green, community director of GenderGP, a transgender health provider, expressing that it made her feel "sick" and "heartbroken". She further stated that it "felt violent and threatening" and that she feared for the safety of transgender individuals. Gemma Stone, co-founder of the news site Trans Writes, characterised Kid Rock's behaviour as an "example of fragile masculinity". She also pointed out the irony of his display, stating that he "managed to come across as even less masculine than the incredibly feminine Dylan Mulvaney".

The video also drew criticism from Fred Guttenberg, the father of a victim of the Parkland school shooting. Guttenberg called out Kid Rock on Twitter, referencing the opening line of his video and sharing a still image from the surveillance video of the tragic event. He highlighted the dangerous implications of Kid Rock's rhetoric in the context of the ongoing attacks on the trans community.

Kid Rock's response to Bud Light's collaboration with Dylan Mulvaney was not only violent but also contributed to the growing attacks and discrimination faced by the transgender community. His actions were seen as a display of toxic masculinity and were met with outrage and condemnation by trans advocates and others.

The boycott of Bud Light

In April 2023, Bud Light, the top-selling beer brand in the United States, collaborated with transgender actress and TikTok personality Dylan Mulvaney on a social media promotion. This partnership sparked intense backlash from conservative figures and groups, who perceived it as a ""political" move, given Mulvaney's previous advocacy for transgender rights. This backlash culminated in a widespread boycott of Bud Light and its parent company, Anheuser-Busch, with many consumers opting to boycott not only Bud Light but all Anheuser-Busch products.

The boycott was fueled by prominent conservative voices, including singer Kid Rock, who infamously posted a video of himself shooting cases of Bud Light with a submachine gun while wearing a MAGA hat. Other conservative country musicians, such as Travis Tritt and Ted Nugent, joined the boycott, and some even removed all Anheuser-Busch products from their concert tours. Several threats, including bomb threats, were made to Anheuser-Busch factories during this period.

The boycott had a significant impact on Bud Light's sales and market position. In the month following the advertisement, Bud Light's sales fell between 11% and 26%, and the brand lost its status as the top-selling beer in the United States, a position it had held for 20 years. The boycott also affected the sales of Anheuser-Busch's other brands, with a sales hit to their flagship Budweiser brand and a drop in Grupo Modelo sales.

Anheuser-Busch's initial response to the boycott was criticized for failing to directly address the controversy or show support for Mulvaney. The company later attempted to distance itself from the situation, stating that the partnership with Mulvaney was a unique commemorative can created to celebrate her personal milestone and was not for sale to the general public. However, this response was not well-received, and the company faced further criticism for not standing by its marketing division and values.

The impact on Mulvaney

Dylan Mulvaney, a transgender woman and social media personality, faced significant backlash and transphobic harassment after partnering with Bud Light for a marketing campaign in 2023. The collaboration included Mulvaney promoting the brand's "Easy Carry Contest" on social media and receiving a commemorative can of Bud Light with her face on it to celebrate her one-year anniversary of starting her gender transition.

The professional repercussions for Mulvaney were also significant. She became the target of a boycott campaign led by conservative groups and individuals, who were outraged by her participation in the Bud Light campaign. This resulted in a loss of brand partnerships and sponsorship opportunities as companies distanced themselves from the controversy. Mulvaney also faced criticism and transphobic comments from prominent political figures, including Senator Marsha Blackburn and Caitlyn Jenner, a fellow transgender woman.

Despite the negative impact on her life and career, Mulvaney remained resilient and continued to share her journey with her followers. She used her platform to address the right wing's seeming "need to dehumanize and to be cruel" and advocated for greater acceptance and visibility for the transgender community. She also leveraged her influence to pay it forward, calling for brands to work with a diverse range of trans individuals and using her profits to support The Trevor Project, an organization supporting LGBTQ+ youth.

In the months following the Bud Light controversy, Mulvaney continued to face backlash and transphobic attacks, indicating the enduring nature of the boycott's impact on her public image and personal safety. However, she also received recognition for her courage and impact, winning awards and being named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in 2023.

The political context

Mulvaney, a transgender woman, rose to prominence on TikTok in 2022 by documenting her gender transition in a series called "Days of Girlhood." She quickly gained a large following and began to receive brand endorsements, including from Ulta Beauty, Instacart, and Kate Spade. However, her growing popularity also made her a target for right-wing harassment and transphobic attacks, particularly from conservative politicians and commentators. In October 2022, after interviewing President Joe Biden about transgender rights, she was singled out for transphobic harassment by Congressional Republicans, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Sen. Marsha Blackburn. They labelled her a "fake woman" and maligned her gender expression, sparking a wave of online vitriol and transphobic abuse from their followers.

In April 2023, Mulvaney partnered with Bud Light to promote their "Easy Carry Contest" during the NCAA's March Madness college basketball tournament. The collaboration included a sponsored post on Instagram in which Mulvaney appeared in an Audrey Hepburn-inspired outfit and referenced March Madness. Bud Light also sent Mulvaney a special commemorative can featuring her face and the message, "Cheers to 365 Days of Being a Woman," celebrating the one-year anniversary of her transition.

The partnership sparked immediate backlash from conservative groups and individuals, who called for a boycott of Bud Light and its parent company, Anheuser-Busch. This backlash was fueled by right-wing media personalities and politicians, who used it as an opportunity to stoke their base's outrage against what they perceived as the "woke agenda" and the inclusion of transgender individuals in mainstream culture. The controversy was also driven by the belief that Mulvaney, as an influencer with a significant following of younger viewers, should not be promoting alcohol.

The boycott was endorsed and amplified by prominent conservative figures such as musician Kid Rock, who posted a video of himself shooting cases of Bud Light with a semi-automatic rifle, and Congressman Ted Cruz, who called for a Senate probe into the partnership. Several Budweiser factories even received bomb threats, and sales of Bud Light took a significant hit, with the brand losing its position as the top-selling beer in the US.

The controversy surrounding the Bud Light and Dylan Mulvaney partnership reflects the polarized political climate in the US, particularly around issues of gender identity and transgender rights. It also highlights the challenges faced by companies like Bud Light that attempt to straddle the line between appealing to progressive consumers and avoiding backlash from conservative ones. In the end, Bud Light's response to the controversy was widely seen as inadequate, and the brand continues to struggle to rebuild its image and sales in the aftermath.

Frequently asked questions