You probably must have heard of the controversial Samsung advertisement that got pulled by now. What started off as a concerted effort to remove an advertisement that not many have heard or seen has now made headlines internationally. Earlier today, the Streisand was at its zenith as the BBC ran a story on the saga.
In the past couple of days, all and sundry have voiced their opinions about the advertisement. Many decried Samsung’s removal of the post (although it was promptly re-uploaded onto the Internet) while some maintained that the advertisement should have never seen the light of day. As Ghui astutely points out, “From a marketing perspective, Samsung has probably struck gold – regardless of whether the advertisement is still showing, people are talking about it. So much so that it has even hit international news.”
VYLA VIRUS SPEAKS UP
Despite the barrage of opinions in cyberspace, we had not heard from the mother and son who were the subjects from the Video. In light of the conservative outrage, there were many online who expressed concern for their well-being.
Yesterday, the drag queen in the advertisement, Vyla Virus, released a short 45-second video to update well-wishers.
https://www.tiktok.com/@wakeupsingapore/video/7055932483434482946
A transcript of the video, which has been edit for clarity, follows.
Hi guys. I am Vyla’s boy form.
I would like to address the controversial video. My mother and I are doing well.
Thank you so much to all of you who reached out to me and asked about our well-being. Thank you so much for spreading the love.
I am not going to talk about the hateful comments.
It is all about my mother’s love. Nothing else was mentioned in the video.
Nonetheless, thank you so much for the concern. I love you guys so much.
Do spread the love. Love is love. Thank you.
In a heartening show of solidarity, local LGBT activist groups Pink Dot SG and Quasa SG expressed their solidarity to Vyla. Local celebrity, Hirzi, also sent his love.
WHO IS VYLA?
According to their Facebook page, Vyla was “born from a local Drag Academy Competition in 2012“. Vyla describes herself as a care-free, honest and spontaneous individual who uses drag to express her femineity.
Vyla used to perform regularly at clubs like Peaches and Monti. She was also part of a group called “Voguelicious” which also had other famous drag queens like Vanda Miss Joaquim. She had a recent stint in France before returning to Singapore to perform again. She occasionally features in RIOT! by Becca D’Bus too.
In an interview from May 2020, she gave some advice to younger queens:-
Vyla Virus, who hitherto had a combined following of approximately 2,000 on their Facebook and Instragram profiles, has become Singapore’s most famous drag queen overnight as her story, her dedication to the craft, and her mother’s unyielding love, have reached an audience of millions.
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