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On Wednesday, Sens. Ted Cruz and Marsha Blackburn penned a letter to Anheuser-Busch CEO and Beer Institute Chairman Brandon Whitworth demanding answers regarding the beer giant's decision to partner with trans-identified TikTok influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
Their concern did not center around Mulvaney's identity, however, but the age of the transgender TikToker's followers, many of whom are well below the legal drinking age in the United States.
In the letter, obtained by the New York Post, Cruz and Blackburn asked that the Beer Institute's Code Compliance Review Board "open an investigation to ... examine whether [Anheuser-Busch] violated the Beer Institute's Advertising/Marketing Code ad Buying Guidelines prohibiting marketing to individuals younger than the legal drinking age."
The pair called on the company to "publicly sever its relationship with Dylan Mulvaney, publicly apologize to the American people for marketing alcoholic beverages to minors, and direct Dylan Mulvaney to remove any Anheuser-Busch content from his social media platforms," lest it be dragged into a "lengthy investigation" by the Beer Institute and Congress.
The senators went on to explain that there were numerous warning signs that perhaps Mulvaney's audience was not the right fit for an alcohol marketing campaign, providing data from TikTok to back up their claims.
"Mulvaney's 'Days of Girlhood' series should have been the first red flag to Anheuser-Busch that it was entering into a partnership with an individual whose audience skews impermissibly below the Beer Institute's proscribed guidelines," they said, suggesting that Mulvaney's use of the phrase "girlhood" was "emblematic" of his attempts to target and attract young viewers.
To prove their point, they cited Mulvaney's numerous stunts wherein the adult male dressed like a little girl and pranced around. Mulvaney's content, they argued, "clearly presents a faux, pre-pubscent girl persona that is created and presented to specifically appeal to young viewers."
The senators demanded Anheuser-Busch hand over all documentation related to the partnership, and copies of the company's corporate policy for advertising on social media.
Their concern did not center around Mulvaney's identity, however, but the age of the transgender TikToker's followers, many of whom are well below the legal drinking age in the United States.
In the letter, obtained by the New York Post, Cruz and Blackburn asked that the Beer Institute's Code Compliance Review Board "open an investigation to ... examine whether [Anheuser-Busch] violated the Beer Institute's Advertising/Marketing Code ad Buying Guidelines prohibiting marketing to individuals younger than the legal drinking age."
The pair called on the company to "publicly sever its relationship with Dylan Mulvaney, publicly apologize to the American people for marketing alcoholic beverages to minors, and direct Dylan Mulvaney to remove any Anheuser-Busch content from his social media platforms," lest it be dragged into a "lengthy investigation" by the Beer Institute and Congress.
The senators went on to explain that there were numerous warning signs that perhaps Mulvaney's audience was not the right fit for an alcohol marketing campaign, providing data from TikTok to back up their claims.
"Mulvaney's 'Days of Girlhood' series should have been the first red flag to Anheuser-Busch that it was entering into a partnership with an individual whose audience skews impermissibly below the Beer Institute's proscribed guidelines," they said, suggesting that Mulvaney's use of the phrase "girlhood" was "emblematic" of his attempts to target and attract young viewers.
To prove their point, they cited Mulvaney's numerous stunts wherein the adult male dressed like a little girl and pranced around. Mulvaney's content, they argued, "clearly presents a faux, pre-pubscent girl persona that is created and presented to specifically appeal to young viewers."
The senators demanded Anheuser-Busch hand over all documentation related to the partnership, and copies of the company's corporate policy for advertising on social media.
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