“My first thought was to write a coffee table book of tasteful nudes, maybe a couple of actual nudes.”
This was internet sensation Bretman Rock’s response to being asked about how the idea behind his upcoming memoir, “You’re That Bitch: & Other Cute Lessons About Being Unapologetically Yourself,” bloomed.
Rock, born Bretman Sacayanan, spent his childhood in the Philippines under one roof with 25 Ilocano family members after immigrating to Hawaii at the age of 7.
Rock’s sass and wit have helped propel him to become the digital superstar he is today. The often crass and always candid creative has amassed around 50 million followers across various online platforms and was honored at the Unforgettable Gala last year with the Digital Influencer Award.
He first went viral at the age of 14 and helped to pioneer the then-somewhat niche landscape of content creation before it hit true ubiquity. He signed with his first agency at the age of 18, which he says was the true genesis of his memoir.
“They had asked me about a book and what I would write about, and honestly, I was super young and I’m like, ‘What the f*ck does an 18-year-old even have to write?’” he says.
The idea would simmer on the backburner until a combination of his cousin’s encouragement and a COVID-19 lockdown galvanized the now 24-year-old to begin his memoir.
Toward the end of COVID, my cousin had just said that I talked about my traumas in a really funny way. We both had dads that had passed, and she just thought it was funny how easily, or — you know, I use that word very loosely — easily I got over my dad’s death.
There was no lightbulb moment; it was just a bunch of small little moments that kept happening. I eventually said, ‘You know what? I’m just going to write a f*cking book. Why not?’ The pandemic also locked me in the house so I had time to focus on writing.
Reflection and restoration
Like many…
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