MO
Born 1999 / Event Producer, Casting Director, Stylist
I sat down with Mo at one of her favorite restaurants, Klom Klorm in Bushwick, to discuss her username and digital identity.
MO: My username is ‘pilsburymoboy,’ I made it in high school when Instagram was first popular. I wanted something punny, I wanted it to be clever. So, that's how it came out. Me and my best friend at the time, we made whole Notes lists of ideas, and then we went through and decided which ones were the best. Yeah, because your username…
DVW: You can be stuck with it for a while, depending on the platform.
MO: Right. Also, it is a part of your personal brand. At the time, I don't think I really gave a fuck about that. I was probably 14 or 15. But even now, I would never want to change my username, because it's so iconic. Sometimes I think, do I need to change it because it's a rip off of the Pillsbury Doughboy? Like can they sue me?
[MUTUAL LAUGHTER]
DVW: So you do a lot of events, like Midnight Runway, under your username. Why is that?
MO: My legal name doesn't really resonate with me, and I’ve never gone by my full first name. I’ve always gone by some variation of Mo, And then my last name is my Dad's last name, and he's not really in my life. So why would I let this man take any type of credit for my accolades? I would rather it be under my own personal brand, which is pilsburymoboy.
DVW: I’m curious what people’s first reactions are to your username. Do people ever call it out to you at your events?
MO: I have gotten that once, but I more so get laughs at the initial Instagram exchange. A few days ago, someone asked me for my Insta, and he took out his phone to type it into Instagram. I was like, ‘it’s pillsburymoboy.’ He was like, what? There's no way that's actually your username, you're lying! Every time I verbally tell someone my username, they laugh because it’s just so ridiculous. It gives them a pretty [accurate] first impression of me being weird and obnoxious and silly. I feel like my username is very on brand for me, and I like that it always elicits a good laugh.
DVW: Do you think that your username has worked in your favor business-wise, in that it gets people's attention?
MO: I think that it definitely makes me a little more memorable. I feel like there's a lot of people whose handles are just their name. It’s not really creative, or interesting in my opinion.
DVW: Do you ever wonder about people not taking you seriously because of your username?
MO: I have bigger things to worry about than that. There are other things about me that are even more ridiculous. What I post on my Instagram stories is ridiculous. I’m not particularly interested in my Instagram ever being something uber-professional. While I use my Instagram as a portfolio, I use it even more so as a tool for community outreach. I'm constantly putting up opportunities for models and photographers, or even just posts about subletting apartments. If I were to sterilize my Instagram, it wouldn't be authentic, because I'm fucking insane. Imagine you meet someone in-person and they have so much personality, but when you follow them, it's just this super sterile, professional place. I think through being authentic and myself, people resonate with me more.
DVW: Do you think Gen Z craves authenticity?
MO: Yes, definitely. We’re all so on the internet, and I think people are starting to prefer content that is actually beneficial to their life in some way. Take de-influencing, for example. People are now more interested in authentic personalities. I feel like Emma Chamberlain kind of started that, that’s why she skyrocketed.
DVW: I have one last question: if you had to give any advice to gen alpha, who are just starting to pick out their usernames, what would it be?
MO: I would say that it’s not that big of a deal. Kids don't have a fully formed identity, they don't have any concept of branding. Your username should be fun, it should be silly. At the end of the day, it’s just social media.