Drew Afualo Reveals the Secret to Her Contagious Confidence (Exclusive)
Drew Afualo Reveals the Secret to Her Contagious Confidence (Exclusive)
Valerie MesaTue, April 28, 2026 at 7:48 PM UTC
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Drew AfualoCredit: Courtesy of Drew Afualo (2) -
Drew Afualo partnered with Gillette Venus for a campaign promoting personalized body care and addressing shaving emergencies
She talks with PEOPLE on her journey from working in the NFL to becoming a feminist advocate and content creator
Afualo emphasizes autonomy in grooming choices and aims to normalize conversations about women’s body hair
Drew Afualo is bringing her bold, no-nonsense energy to beauty and self-care.
From her podcast The Comment Section to her New York Times Best Seller, Loud: Accept Nothing Less Than the Life You Deserve, the 30-year-old content creator has built a platform rooted in truth, feminism and a reputation for being a "crusader for women."
Afualo is fearless in confronting misogyny and unwavering in her stance, but that clarity didn’t happen overnight. Before building a following of millions, the podcast host was a digital media coordinator and content creator for the NFL, a role she once thought was her dream job.
Getting fired from that position, she’s since shared, was an unexpected turning point. Looking back, it forced her to confront something deeper than career disappointment
“I had to really sit with myself and unpack, like, do I even like sports?” Afualo tells PEOPLE exclusively. “Do I even like football? Or did I just think this was something I could do that would be awesome and not necessarily be approved by men, but it would be encouraged by them?”
That kind of self-reflection was foundational to the way she shows up today, and exactly what makes her latest partnership so on-brand.
Afualo has recently teamed up with Gillette Venus for their Smoothguard campaign, a comedic and educational social series designed to tackle “shaving emergencies” head-on while encouraging a more personalized approach to body care.
“[In addition to just] being a huge fan of the brand,” she says. “I have used Gillette razors since I started shaving, so it was really a dream to partner with them.”
Beyond being familiar with Gillette Venus personally, Afualo also points to the intention behind the campaign, and how it mirrors her own message around autonomy and choice.
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“I think a beautiful thing they’re distinguishing is the fact that every body type has different skin, just like your face is different and your hair grows different,” she explains.
The campaign leans into education as much as it does beauty.
Drew AfualoCredit: Gillette Venus
“How do I like to do my hair? How do I like to do my makeup? How do I like to dress? How do I like to shave if I like to shave at all?” she continues. “Those are all questions you should be asking yourself.”
For the New York Times bestselling author, confidence isn’t something you wait to feel ready for; it’s something you allow yourself to embody.
“A lot of people, rightfully so, ask me if I've always been this way, if it just kind of happened, or if I had to do something — this isn't like a superpower I have," she says."I always say I think everybody has this ability," she continues. "You just have to give yourself permission — I just gave myself permission a long time ago.”
That permission, she explains, also changes how much weight you give to everything else.
“I don't weigh the opinions of people I don't respect and don't matter to me, especially not a stranger,” she says.
“Life is far too short to waste it trying to impress a man you'll never meet — you gotta get in there and you gotta get to it immediately... whatever it is you love."
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
