Lifestyle influencer Bretman Rock was offered a coconut-rice cake Filipino treat from UC Santa Barbara’s Carrillo Dining Hall by a student. (Shengyu Zheng / Daily Nexus)

At the risk of ruining a fresh blowout thanks to a week of pouring rain, beauty guru and social media personality Bretman Rock graced the mainland with his presence in a packed Campbell Hall on Nov. 14. The Filipino-American comedian and LGBTQ+ icon drew in an enthusiastic crowd for a lively evening of humorous banter.

The show, “In Conversation with Bretman Rock,” was announced by the Associated Students Program Board (ASPB) on Nov. 10 and sold out a few days later. The comment section of the Instagram post announcing the event was filled with GIF comments featuring quippy quotes from Rock, effortlessly speaking to his prevalence in internet humor and the excitement surrounding his appearance at UC Santa Barbara. 

The night consisted of an interview-style exchange that prompted Rock to divulge many amusing storytimes, followed by a Q&A session with the audience.

Originally rising to online popularity at the age of 16 when his satirical contouring tutorial went viral in 2015, Rock has maintained a uniquely entertaining virtual platform by being unapologetically himself. Building off his start on YouTube and Vine, Rock is an author, actor, podcast host and lifestyle and beauty influencer on Tiktok. When asked if he had any more accomplishments to add to that list, Rock responded with: “Gay.”

The dedication of his supporters could be seen in the turnout before doors opened, with a line extending to Cheadle Hall across the way – eagerly armed with umbrellas, raincoats and a few Filipino flags. 

“He’s authentically himself. He’s been through so many different eras and keeps showing up [as he is,]” film and media studies alumna Callie Hurley said. 

“I’m Filipino and in the queer community … It’s just about relating to him and his whole experience,” added fellow alum Reggie Rojas. Hurley and Rojas were visiting in support of the Filipino club on campus Kapatirang Pilipino’s (KP) mentorship pairing reveal event.  

“Y’all really sat the Filipinos in the front,” Rock commented as the event began. However, it was clear when the house lights came on that the Filipino student population showed up and showed out in the whole lecture hall, beaming with pride. 

“I know when they turn these lights on, half of ya’ll are gonna look like me. I can just tell by the way you’re laughing so loud.” Rock remarked. 

Rock is effortlessly funny — he has a signature style and attitude that seeps through his replies to each question ASPB had prepared. The conversation covered all his niches, from fabulous hair true to his Leo identity, the assortment of fruits and animals that live on his farm with him in Hawai’i and his official exit from the beauty industry. Rock admitted that he has developed such a great audience that “now people will just watch [him] do anything.”

Now posting about his pink chicken and rainbows in his backyard, he expressed that it took a lot of the pressure off rushing to be the first beauty influencer to post a video about the newest product. 

“We were all fighting about who [would get to] post the first review. It became very catty and competitive in that sense,” he said. 

Rock confessed that stepping away did him well.

“It reminded me that sometimes, my interests are what make me interesting,” he continued. 

Representation and relatability of Rock’s ethnic, sexual and gender identities were also major topics of the night.

“For the most part, I think my personality is just so, so, so Filipino … I’m just a Bakla at the end of the day,” said Rock with a knowing smirk. 

The audience broke into “Oohs” and cheers, as Bakla is a Tagalog term for a person assigned male at birth who has a feminine gender expression, and has become a reclaimed celebratory term for being gay.

Bretman Rock in conversation at a packed Campbell Hall. (Shengyu Zheng / Daily Nexus)

While most of the evening was filled with lighthearted anecdotes, Rock also discussed growing up as an immigrant in the United States after moving from the Philippines to Hawai’i at the age of eight in a more serious shift.

“There were so many Brown kids that I never felt different … I know as an immigrant person, that’s very privileged of me to say,” Rock explained. 

He also said he felt lucky to retain his native tongue despite pressures to assimilate.

“I say all this because I recognize that I’m very privileged as an immigrant child who had parents that instilled so much Filipinoness in me … I don’t want to say it was easy, but girl, I ate it up!”

Later in the Q&A session, Rock also told the audience that he was always accepted by his family and didn’t ever have to come out to them. “I think for me, the pressure was truly that I have to make my American dream come true,” becoming a mainstream success, that is.

The night came to an end after Rock shouted out a few audience members (he revealed that he does read his DMs) and tried a Bibingka, a coconut-rice cake Filipino treat, from campus’s very own Carillo Dining Commons. Rock affirmed that it was “not really good, but good,” which is probably on par with student ratings.

Rock embodies the evolving landscape of representation in media. A manifestation of what it means to grow up surrounded by acceptance and cultural pride: the ability to just “be.” 

He repeatedly asserts that he’s always just being himself, and this is what his audience loves about him so much. As a reminder that authenticity can be its own kind of revolution, Rock is an icon of a generation that grew up alongside the digital space, who had the opportunity to flourish in acceptance. 

His journey shows that success isn’t something you inherit, but build on your own terms – and success can look like joy.

For every student looking to see themselves represented, or dreaming of creating something – art, media, a community – Rock encapsulated the night into a short piece of advice: “You’ve got to just post it … Sometimes you’ve got to start the channel yourself.”