From Finance Bros to Feminist Icon: Nimay Ndolo on Comedy, Advocacy, and the Future of Voting
Photo credit: @kennabbby
Nimay Ndolo
Nimay Ndolo, influencer, actress, and former software developer lives in NYC. She runs an environmental non-profit, CityAesthetica, and uses her platform to discuss politics, current events, fashion, and tech. She has no pets but is looking forward to fostering some cats.
What does being a feminist mean to you?
Feminism, to me, is the countering of the traditional norm. The traditional norm of patriarchy is inequitable, therefore the counter would be an equitable system. Feminism leads to equity–I want to be an equitable Barbie girl in an equitable Barbie world. I’m a def a feminist.
Take us back to the beginning of your journey as a creator. Where did your journey start, and how has your life changed since then?
Remember Dogecoin? That’s how. I went hard for it for about four months of its run, then got bullied off TikTok by finance bros. I came back six months later after a traumatic startup experience as a front end software developer, then started doing dev comedy to air grievances I encountered during my day job. However, I broadened my “niche” to general comedy and that’s where I am now. How has life changed since then?? It’s gone comically parabolic since. I’m still processing things. Therapy helps lol.
Congratulations on being named one of Rolling Stone’s most influential creators of 2024! Reflecting back, what are the biggest lessons you’ve learned on your journey as a creator?
Thank you–also shoutout to badass women like Steffi Cao and CT Jones for the feature. It’s a classic case of women uplifting women. As for my content creation journey, I could list so many things. However, the main thing I’ve learned/taken away/observed is that this next generation of entertainment creatives that started as digital-natives (TikTok, YouTube, Substack, etc…) are going to be some of the strongest we’ve seen. If anything, content creators are hungry and highly adaptable self-starters with somewhat decentralized audiences that rival traditional networks. From being around them and experiencing working as one, I’ve learned that adaptability is key.
Photo credit: @jadorejoshy
You have a beautiful, growing community of 2.4 million and counting on TikTok. How do you think social media can be used as a tool for positive change?
I treat my audience like a digital constituency. That’s actually how I address them. Ariana Grande has her Arianators, Taylor Swift has The Swifties, Nicki Minaj has The Barbz, and I have The Constituency. I view them that way because we have an extremely open and mutually beneficial line of communication–and I’ve leaned on it since starting on TikTok in 2021. I’ve always appreciated how passionate The Constituency is when it comes to advocacy. They keep me posted on world events and they let me know if/when I have a take that needs to be reassessed. I think it’s a privilege to have the ear of an audience and I love using that privilege to platform relevant issues and mobilize.
As a tech developer and content creator, which issues are you most passionate about advocating for?
BLOCKCHAIN VOTING. I feel that the best use-case for blockchain tech is within the voting sphere. After seeing all the voting-based fuckery that went on in 2024 (ex: burning ballot boxes, mail-in ballot delays (this personally affected me), etc), it's about time that the American voting system got a 21st century update. If we can verify identities on our phones for Clear and Digital ID, I believe that voter identities can be verified on phones. When we consider that this tech exists alongside tech that allows us to purchase crypto on phones (btw, I’m not a crypto fan. It feels redundant), I think that there’s actual potential for votes of the future to be recorded on an immutable ledger made confidential by whichever agency presides over it. Yeah, there’s the server crashing issue, but I think that it can be figured out. I don’t think that the possibility for issues to exist within a system should rule out implementation of that system. I want to give it a shot.
Humor is such a central element of your content. What role do you think comedy plays in shaping our political landscape?
I think comedy is a stunning communication tool–especially in this super hieroglyphic era of memes we’re in. World events these days have become so bleak, but humor tends to make things a bit more bearable. In the political sphere, humor also seems to be a tool that galvanizes. We saw it with Kamala’s historic 107 day run–and despite the questionable results of the election, it was a historic campaign that used humor in such a cool new way.
Being online can definitely take a toll on our mental health. What self care practices do you like to include in your daily life to stay mentally healthy while being a content creator?
Well, I recently joined a cult (Equinox) and I’ve been doing barre classes–which has been fun. However, I’ve mainly been trying to find ways to incorporate structure into my life. As a working creative, the unpredictability of our schedules caused me to become depressed due to having to constantly rebuild structure, but I’m currently figuring it out and trying to find a balance.
How are you finding hope and joy while navigating today’s challenging political and digital landscape?
Honestly, I’m looking toward the future. After November 6th, I found myself becoming depressed. However, so many things seem to be changing so dynamically so quickly–and I truly believe that new voices and perspectives are coming out of this current digital landscape. Now that we’re a few months past election, I’m remaining optimistic.
