14-05-2025
Why Samoan content creator Drew Afualo refuses to dim her light for algorithms or Hollywood
While Pacific voices are gaining traction online, they have long remained under-represented in mainstream media, according to content creator Drew Afualo, who says that absence isn't just noticeable — it's personal.
With more than 9 million followers across a variety of social media platforms, Afualo — recognised as one of Forbes' Top Creators of 2023 and Time magazine's Next Generation Leaders — said it was powerful and necessary to embrace and speak out as a Polynesian woman.
In 2024, Afualo published her debut book, LOUD: Accept Nothing Less Than the Life You Deserve, which saw her become the first Samoan woman to make the New York Times best-seller list.
"It's important that we show people who we are, that we present ourselves to the world; [that] we don't constantly stay in the shadows," she told ABC Pacific.
"I think it's important that people see us, and I think that if you're a Polynesian woman or anyone at all that wants to make content, it should be at the forefront of all of your things.
"It's imperative that they see us."
From her social platforms to helming red carpet events, Drew Afualo became the first Samoan woman on the New York Times Bestseller list. ( Instagram: @drewafualo )
In a digital age, social media can provide a platform for marginalised voices to carve out their own paths.
And for those who find success, it's profitable. Forbes published that Afualo earned an estimated $2.9 million in 2023 from a mix of brand deals and her podcasts.
Social platforms have fast become a space where Pacific voices can thrive — voices which have long been missing from mainstream media.
May marks Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in the United States, a time to celebrate what Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders have played in the country's history. ( AP: Jessica Hill )
A 2021 study found Asians and Pacific Islanders battle "invisibility" in media, with the lack of Asian and Pacific Islander representation a problem in the mainstream film industry.
Pacific Islanders and Asian Americans comprised less than 6 per cent of speaking roles and less than 4 per cent of leads and co-leads in Hollywood films between 2007-2019, according to the study.
Actor and director Taika Waititi, a vocal proponent for representation in film, made a poignant speech at a Hollywood luncheon in 2023.
"I don't want to see one token Polynesian character in your show. What I want to see is a fully Polynesian-controlled, Polynesian story that's written by and show run by [Polynesian people]," he said.
While Afualo said there were not many Pacific faces in Hollywood, social platforms allowed people to create their narratives on their terms.
Taika Waititi is known for calling on authentic representation in Hollywood. ( Supplied )
Afualo's advice to aspiring content creators
But creating content on social media isn't for everyone, Afualo warned.
"I always tell people that if you care at all about getting hate, don't do it. And I mean that very seriously," she said.
"This is not the job for you and this is not the job for everyone.
"It's rare to be in a position where you are constantly being looked at and perceived and, by proxy, either built up or torn down.
"However, if it doesn't bother you that much … I would say to do it regardless.
"If you have something important to say, something impactful to say. Do it."
Afualo said she hoped her legacy was one of cultural visibility — that she wouldn't be the last and that her Samoan culture remained central.
"I know that sometimes it feels like we have to kind of hide those pieces of us and kind of dim them down a little bit. Because Eurocentric beauty standards, Eurocentric behaviour is what's platformed.
"It's what builds audiences, right? It's what catches fire in algorithms.
"But I'm living proof that it doesn't have to be that way.
"I would say shine as bright as you can, as bright as you can. That is the way we were meant to be."
