Anthony is a successful Youtuber known as Lohanthony, who is definitely an entertaining individual no matter what his videos are about. With over one million subscribers, Anthony makes videos on his opinion and other things going on in his life. He is a very outspoken person who allows his voice to be heard in the media today. He expresses himself on different social media platforms and played Sam in the first movie he was in, Miss Stevens. Today we talked about some things our youth has to go through today in our not so great society.
What goes through your mind when you see a “one size fits all” clothing item?
I think it’s unfair actually because, you’re going to release clothing items to the world, not just to a certain group of people with a certain size. When I go to Brandy (Brandy Melville) with my girls helping them shop and I see that, it just confuses me because that’s a thing in the girl world- I don’t understand. But it would be outrageous if it was a thing in the male world too like I think it’s something that is just not okay at all actually.
How do you think schools or parents trying to enforce gender roles on adolescents impacts our society today?
I think it impacts our society a lot because, growing at school it is a straight up male-female deal that we’re introduced to, like in gym glass you’re split up, and there’s different bathrooms, and things like that and it kind of messes with the way our youth grows up because everyone is forced into those two guidelines in school. Even outside of school it kind of leads people who kind of don’t fit in the sense of gender norms left confused and it can make them feel extremely out of place. They have a sense of belonging but it’s just the way that it is for them. At my old school in my hometown they just added a gender neutral bathroom which I think is amazing.
Wow that’s awesome!
Yeah, and with all the stuff that’s happening with gender roles being pushed to the side, it leads kids to thinking that they can’t be themselves because they don’t fit into either in school and outside of school.
I think you’ve been very influential on dealing with social justice and educating people about it through your videos which I think is really encouraging. What motivates you to make videos like that, like for example the “black lives matter” video you made?
Thank you so much! Starting on Youtube I didn’t have a platform really, it was just me expressing my thoughts and opinions about stuff and whether it was about social justice or not, some of my videos WERE about social justice but regardless of that fact, I think it is important to speak up about things that are running through your mind. Whether they’d be controversial- I’ve made videos that are controversial on my opinions like homophobia and racism, and I think that’s so important to do so whether you have a following or you don’t, no matter what you should speak out on things things that are relevant in this world today AND your life. I don’t deal with racism personally I do deal with homophobia- but I witness racism, I do have opinions about it that will definitely benefit the world. And I think that if you have something to say then you should say it, given the outlet we have today via internet, Youtube, and twitter, it’s so easy to put your thoughts and opinions out there and you never know what it’ll do to the person reading it. It’s so cool when I upload a social justice video, I don’t do it for the response but I love the response after because not everyone agrees with me but, there are people that do understand me and there are people that can get some insight and hopefully change their mind of whatever they’re thinking of with my opinion.
I agree, if I were to write an article on a social justice related topic, not everyone’s going to agree but I know that it’ll still be influential.
Exactly!
Coming out for me as bisexual has been a nerve wracking and scary process, how does it feel for you to come out to such a wide audience you have?
Yeah so, I made a video about my sexuality I think it was a couple years ago, sexuality was something that was just constantly on my mind during that time period and I felt like I needed to address it. But today I don’t really talk about my sexuality because yes it’s such a big part of our lives and honestly as I grow older and I find out more about myself I don’t want to make it a big part of me. If I had a crush on you or if we were getting romantically serious then you’d find out that way but it doesn’t have to play a big part in our friendship and honestly that goes for any relationship in my life with someone that i’m not dating.
I mean i’m Anthony and labels are something that I became uncomfortable with because I don’t want to be known for what I am, I want to be known for who I am.
I am me before anything and I feel like that is something that people should think about.
In what ways is being well-known in the media frustrating?
It used to be frustrating for me because I would check my twitter constantly, and i’d do things and really consider the reaction and it’s something I shouldn’t do. And I kind of dimmed down my twitter presence and have been uploading more on Youtube and I have a website (anthonys.life) now that I post blog articles and vent on. I think that people have this idea of you when they follow you on Youtube and they see certain parts of your life, but there’s so much that I don’t show and people are probably thinking “I follow Anthony I know everything about him, I see his Snapchat, he posts constantly, I see his Instagram posts” but there’s so much off the internet that not everyone knows about like when I make a video about my opinions people are like “wait- you actually think that?” and they don’t expect it. They talk like they know me but they don’t, they have this internet perception of me.
What is some advice you can give to teens that have trouble expressing themselves because of the fear of being judged?
I have a lot to say to those people actually. You should be more comfortable with yourself and comfortable with the idea or opinion that people have of you because once you start accepting who you are, it will be easier for other people to accept you. And I think that the last thing you want to do is mind what anyone else is thinking because whether you’re in middle school, high school, or college, the people that you’re surrounded by that are keeping you from expressing who you really are- you’re not always going to be in school eventually. One day you’re going to be on your own living your own life, and I think being out of public school has really taught me that. I don’t go to public school I haven’t been in a school environment where I have a group of people judging me all the time, it’s just me in my apartment and I kind of only come in contact with people that I want to. So doing that kind of gave me what it’s like to live life outside of school and I don’t think that people being my age that don’t live on their own understand that. I make so many videos telling them that like honestly the minds we have now will change in five years and you have to know that, and have to know that everything that’s going on right now is going to fade away and like you shouldn’t waste time trying to conform to what’s around you. You should be different and stand out and maybe you’ll get judged for it, maybe you’ll get criticized for it, but at least at the bottom of your heart you’ll know that at the and of the day your actions say who you are and not being controlled by someone else because you want to fit in. I’ve been a victim of being judged but I wasn’t happy and I think your happiness should come first all the time.
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