Steph Tolev on Social Media Embarrassment, Internet Trolls, and Getting Jacked for Her Special

Social Media Content Creation

• 💡 Steph Tolev discusses the challenges of filming social media content in public, finding it both tedious and embarrassing.
• 🚀 She shares an anecdote about filming an "I'm walking here" video in New York, where a heckler tripped after mocking her, leading to a moment of schadenfreude.
• 🎭 In contrast, filming in Los Angeles, particularly as a mermaid in Griffith Park, garnered little reaction, highlighting the different social dynamics.
• 📈 Tolev notes that a 12-year-old mermaid video she reposted gained nearly 12 million views, suggesting her more outlandish content resonates widely.

Online Harassment and Trolling

• ⚠️ Tolev experiences significant online trolling, particularly from men who react aggressively to her perceived confidence and directness towards them.
• 👃 She highlights a specific trend of men criticizing her nose, even in contexts like a spread for Hustler magazine.
• 💬 Tolev admits to a compulsion to look at profiles of her detractors, often finding them to be individuals who are themselves unhappy or unattractive.
• 📸 She has a practice of screenshotting trolls' profiles and commenting with their image, a tactic that is not well-received by the trolls.

Physical Transformation for Comedy Special

• 🏋️ Tolev reveals she underwent a rigorous four-month regimen to get in shape for her Netflix special, "Filth Queen."
• 📊 This involved intense workouts and meticulous calorie counting, including weighing food like chicken, rice, and oats.
• 🥗 She avoided oil for three months and used only lemon juice on salads to manage calorie intake.
• 🚫 She also abstained from alcohol during this period.
• 🎯 The motivation behind this intense preparation was to preemptively counter potential negative comments about her appearance, specifically avoiding being called fat.

Social Media Algorithms and Visibility

• 📈 Tolev acknowledges that even negative and vile comments can inadvertently help her content's visibility due to algorithms.
• 🤷 She expresses a desire not to care about the negativity but admits it's difficult, especially when trolls' profiles reveal their own insecurities.
• 💬 The intense backlash on clips, like one from "Your Mom's House," sometimes leads other men to defend her, creating a strange dynamic.
• 🤷 Most people recognize the trolls as insane, and their comments are unlikely to sway public opinion or lead to genuine followers.