Tell Williams
Tell Williams (Photo:@mrwilliamsprek/Instagram)

A teacher with a big social media following has earned praise for the way he chose to deal with a critic.

Tell Williams is a pre-K teacher who first went viral around three years ago. Witnessing a young male pupil bullied for wearing nail varnish, Williams began sporting nail polish himself. He wanted to show kids it was OK to express themselves how they liked.

He has continued to attract followers with his comedic videos and acerbic take on life.

In a video posted this week, Williams did not take kindly to a woman who implored him to “stop using so much bronzer.” The message was left under one of his TikTok videos.

“I actually wasn’t wearing bronzer in that video,” he began. He then said that perhaps the commentator was being low-key homophobic and suggesting men shouldn’t wear makeup. He took a look at her profile and decided she could perhaps do with some makeup advice herself.

“So this will be a learning opportunity,” he says.

He goes on to give a masterclass in applying makeup, with plenty of contouring and bronzer.

“So next time you want to tease a gay man about wearing makeup, you know what you’re looking for.”

The demonstration he gives not only offers some admirable makeup skills but is peppered with shady reads toward his critic.

Williams begins by applying a tinted moisturizer that will “hide your blemishes, which is a good thing. Unfortunately, it can’t help an ugly and mean personality. For that, I think you would need to apply some therapy and empathy toward others. While I love me some Sephora, they do not sell that, unfortunately.”

@mrwilliamsprek

Replying to @Debby Y let’s not comment on someones looks, or make them feel bad for wanting to look nice. #bekind #makeuptutorial #mensmakeup #makeupformen #makeuptips #teachermakeup

? original sound – Mr Williams

“Sisters not twins”

He moves on to his eyebrows.

“I like to brush these up before I fill them in. Like I’m filling you in on how ignorant this comment was.”

And on and on he continues, expertly ripping the woman’s comment to shreds.

Toward the end, he turns serious. He points out that while he wasn’t wearing bronzer in the video that prompted the comment, he was wearing makeup.

“And there’s nothing wrong with that. Though it’s taken me years, I’ve become OK with getting criticized on the internet. I’m a 33-year-old man. I can take it.

“There are millions of queer children out there that couldn’t take that comment, and that comment could have destroyed them,” he adds.

He goes on to say that not “every queer kid” out there has 2.5 million followers, as he does, who will shower him with supportive messages if he gets criticized for his appearance.

The video went down well with viewers.

“Can you do more reads and makeup tutorials? You killed it at both, and I’m here for all of it,” said one person on Instagram.

A mom on TikTok said, “Love this! I have three boys, if any turn out like you I would be proud!”

Another teacher said, “As an English teacher, I truly enjoyed this read. As a mom and teacher of many queer teenagers, I am so thankful for your existence and resistance.”

Nail polish

Last year, Williams launched his own makeup line, inspired by his viral nail polish stories. He explained to those new to his videos how it came about.

“A boy in my class asked his parents to paint his nails, and when he came into school the next day to show them off, some students and a few teachers, even, started to tease him,” Williams recalled.

“So to show support I came in the next day with my nails painted, and I’ve done it ever since.”

The brand he launched, Boitoi has raised over $10,000 for charitable causes, including the LGBTQ-oriented Mazzoni Center in Philadelphia and the trans advocacy organization, Trees, Inc.

If you want some gay-flavored humor on your timeline, do give Williams a follow. Here’s another sweet video he posted this week about talking to his dog.

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