TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney is receiving criticism on TikTok after releasing a music video about “what life is like for girls.” On March 11, Mulvaney released her new song, “Days of Girlhood” to honor her experience while she was transitioning earlier in her lifetime. However, rather than receiving positive comments and praise for her work, she immediately felt backlash.
Many women are criticizing the lyrics in her song because they mention women on medication and dealing with problems through “retail therapy,” which some TikTok users think inaccurately reflects womanhood. People are suggesting that Mulvaney’s song is insensitive, especially following the release of the “Barbie” movie last summer that showcased how women are still being treated negatively and labeled with inaccurate stereotypes.
After the “Days of Girlhood” video was released, videos that made fun of the song and negative comments began pouring in about how Mulvaney essentially does not understand girlhood in the slightest. Some videos included text that used he/him pronouns when discussing Mulvaney, even though she is an openly transgender woman.
On the other hand, many individuals are defending Mulvaney and her song, saying that many cisgender female artists have made songs like this, including Katy Perry and her song “California Girls,” and the only reason why people are discrediting the song is because Mulvaney is transgender.
The TikTok star took to her page and responded to the hate she was receiving by saying she wanted to make a more upbeat song about her experiences that wasn’t sad and that sounded like “the opening of an early 2000s rom-com because [she] never saw [herself] existing in that world when [she] was growing up.” Mulvaney noted that she was surprised by all of the negativity circulating about the song because she enjoyed it herself and had fun making it.
This is not the first time Mulvaney has been under fire. On April 1, 2023, Mulvaney supported a Bud Light contest on her Instagram account and captioned the photo with the hashtag “#budlightpartner.” Many people responded harshly and attempted to boycott the beer brand to show their negative feelings toward the partnership with Mulvaney.
However, even with all of this backlash over her Bud Light partnership and new song, Mulvaney is taking it in stride. Following all of this hate, Mulvaney posted a TikTok video on March 18 making fun of the negative comments about her song, and seems to not be allowing the hate to consume her or her work.
The TikTok star will most likely remain on people’s “For You” pages and continue to spread awareness about her life experience and her rise to fame. While it is fair game to critique a person’s art, it is benign business to be cruel to them regarding their identity, something Mulvaney illustrates through her content even today.
