After Seeing Online 'Hate' Firsthand, Manny MUA Says He Gives ‘Less F---s Than Ever’ About Speaking Out (Exclusive)

Luke ChinmanFri, June 5, 2026 at 2:00 PM UTC

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Manny MUACredit: Phillip Faraone/Getty for TikTok -

In recent years, Manny Gutierrez — the beauty influencer known online as "Manny MUA" — has started to use his platform more and more to advocate for the issues that are important to him

The beauty influencer tells PEOPLE in an interview about what spurred the shift

"Maybe it's because I've just been doing this for so damn long and I give less f---s than ever," he says

Manny Gutierrez — the beauty influencer known online as "Manny MUA" — is the first to admit that he's been online for a long time.

The 35-year-old internet personality first started his YouTube channel in 2014, still hiding his love of makeup from friends, family and the Mormon community. Even if those close to him didn't necessarily approve of how he chose to express himself, the rest of the internet did: He quickly racked up millions of views, and by 2017, he became the first male ambassador of Maybelline New York.

Twelve years later, Gutierrez is still making beauty content. And his longevity online gives him a rare perspective on how the industry has changed — from the early YouTube days to the rise of TikTok.

He's seen, he tells PEOPLE in an interview, how brands slowly started to embrace male beauty creators in the late 2010s, as well as what he calls a "regression" for male representation in the beauty space over the last few years.

"There's more boys in beauty than ever," says Gutierrez. "But people are more willing to send homophobic and transphobic hate and be more volatile for their disdain for queer people."

Manny MUACredit: Manny Gutierrez/Instagram

As for Gutierrez, he says he's in a "great place" professionally: He's found the brands that he can trust, and he still has a dedicated following, some of whom have been with him since the beginning. And with that, he says, he feels more of a responsibility than ever to speak out when he sees injustice.

"I'm in my era where I want to make sure my opinion is getting out there and it's not so hushed," he tells PEOPLE, naming his podcast Fool Coverage with best friend Laura Lee as a place where he's had the space to do so. "Maybe it's because I've just been doing this for so damn long and I give less f---s than ever."

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This shift in his choice to use his platform to advocate for political issues that are meaningful to him, he says, is both a result of his own increased confidence and what he perceives to be an increased national urgency to do so.

For instance, amid a surge of immigration raids this year, Gutierrez, who is Mexican-American, saw it as his "obligation" to share resources and "advocate for my people."

Manny MUACredit: Manny Gutierrez/Instagram

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"But I also feel strengthened by my own opinions about things because I've, again, been doing this for so long," he adds. "I'm secure. I'm more secure in myself now than I've ever been."

When he does stake his claim, he says there are certainly people in his DMs who "don't agree" — and sometimes let him know very vocally.

"But at the end of the day," he says, "I'm so steadfast in my opinion that it doesn't really bother me. I don't really care because I feel passionately about it. That's something that I believe in, so I don't ever mind giving my opinion, even if I hurt someone's feelings."

on People

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”