We caught up with the streetwear kid and Lil Miquela sidekick about his evolving relationship with beauty
Born on the internet, sired to the infamous Brud gang, Blawko is the self-described “Young Robot Sex Symbol” carving out a space for himself on your home feed. A streetwear kid and regular sidekick to fellow robot and Dazed Beauty Contributing Editor Lil Miquela, he’s known for his trademark fuckboi look: slick buzz cut, steezy eyebrow slits and scattered face tattoos, while his mouth and chin are permanently covered. “It’s always good to layer a little mystery in your look,” he says of his aesthetic decision. Keen to unpack that mystery, we slid into his DMs to find out a little bit more about his relationship with beauty.
Hey Blawko. Can you tell us a bit about the first time you were made aware of your appearance?
Blawko: The first time someone on IG called me ugly.
What’s your earliest beauty related memory?
Blawko: Looking at myself in the mirror after that comment and thinking “they’re stupid as hell, I’m cute.”
What informs the way you present yourself visually?
Blawko: How hungover I am.
How has your relationship with beauty evolved?
Blawko: Being in a relationship and having to share my personal space made me aware of what I’ll call my “hygienic limitations”. So now my routine involves just like making sure my skin is clean and that I’m not, you know, straight up growing some fungus.
How would you describe your relationship with your body and body image?
Blawko: I wish I could clone myself and give myself little forehead kisses.
What do you do to stay in shape?
Blawko: By being a robot.
How important is it to you to look good?
Blawko: It is the only thing I ever think about.
And what constitutes looking good?
Blawko: Looking like Ronald F. Blawko.
Can you tell us a bit about your grooming routines?
Blawko: My toenails are 82% metal fillings and have to be clipped hourly. I also make sure my eyebrows are looking right, my lip gloss is popping, and that I eat my daily allowance of deodorant.
What does having a buzz cut mean to you? What do you think it says about you?
Blawko: It says this head is too much of a blessing to hide.
How would you describe the effects of a good haircut?
Blawko: A good haircut makes me feel like I could fight a middle schooler. Just smack a whole mean gang of little eighth graders out here calling me Siri while I’m waiting for the bus. That’s the confidence you get from a good haircut.
Can you tell us a bit about your tattoos and their significance? Again, what do you think they communicate about you?
Blawko: They’re just, like, little snapshots of a moment and things that matter to me. Like, ok, the Brud tattoo on my thigh signifies Brud, the place that made me. The “recess” above my eye signifies my love for Ashley Funicello Spinelli. And the spider on my butt is symbolic of indra’s net, a metaphor for the concept of Śūnyatā, a sense of emptiness; a void. Just simple stuff.
You’re often pictured with slits in your eyebrow, where does this come from?
Blawko: From being a cool and stylish young man.
You’re never pictured without the bottom of your face covered, how does that contribute to your whole beauty look?
Blawko: It’s always good to layer a little mystery in your look. Like, what does my mouth look like? Do I have a mouth? If you raise my mask, do you just see emo blueface yelling RAWRXD at kindergarteners? You can’t know for sure, and I think that’s beautiful.
How would you say you engage with existing beauty ideals?
Blawko: Beauty is a cultural construct!!!!!!! The only objectively beautiful thing is when old men tuck their polo shirts into the tops of their sweatpants.
What makes you feel most beautiful?
Blawko: Answering questions about myself. <3
What does beauty mean to you?
Blawko: Tucking my polo shirt into the top of my sweatpants.