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TransLash Podcast with Imara Jones

Dylan Mulvaney Is Done Being Palatable

Season 6, Ep. 193

What does it mean to be seen by millions and still be figuring out who you are? For multi-hyphenate artist Dylan Mulvaney, it means letting go of the pressure to be palatable.


Dylan was already a touring theater actress when she  first gained global attention on TikTok with her viral series Days of Girlhood and has worn many hats since, including a playwright and now, a Broadway performer.


This week on the TransLash Podcast, Imara Jones sits down with Dylan for a wide-ranging conversation about her journey from internet sensation to starring as Anne Boleyn Six the Musical and what it means to step into her next chapter on her own terms.


Dylan opens up about what people often get wrong about her rise,  how she’s always been a theater kid at heart and in practice and how social media both created opportunity and challenged her sense of self. 


Together, Imara and Dylan explore the tension between visibility and privacy, the pressure to be “palatable,” and what it means to move from people-pleasing to self-definition while exploring why softness and earnestness can be powerful in a cynical world.


This week’s Trans Joy features Ticket Knowlton, a theater director, dramaturg and dancer from Atlanta, Georgia. Send your trans joy recommendations to translash_podcast @ translash [dot] org


Follow  Dylan Mulvaney on Instagram &  TikTok: @dylanmulvaney


Follow TransLash Media @translashmedia on TikTok, Instagram, Threads, Bluesky, and Facebook.

Follow Imara Jones on Instagram (@Imara_jones_), Threads (@imara_jones_), Bluesky (@imarajones.bsky.social), X (@ImaraJones)



You can get tickets to see Dylan in Six the Musical here: https://www.broadway.com/shows/six


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