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Behind the scenes of White Eyed Rowdy’s Rise to Fame

PC: The Dogist It's been exactly 2 months since Rowdy passed, so we felt it was time to start talking about him again.

Rowdy's life story is an amazing one, but there's also a lot to say about his rise to fame.

You guys have been with us for this crazy ride, and we feel like you share an emotional connection with Rowdy after being so loyal to him and following him every step of the way.

So we want to share as much as we can for you.

When Rowdy really started getting national attention and his story started spreading, we talked about how to strategically go about our next steps.

It was very possible to focus on using the attention gained as a lever to make a lot of money, but we agreed that wasn’t the right way to use his attention.

Rowdy’s story is something special and the best thing about it is that it’s real.

He sparked so much inspiration in so many people (with and without vitiligo), and we realized that a story so powerful could be used to create actual change in the world.

It can be used to genuinely touch people’s hearts, and Rowdy’s message can continue to spread through the actions and words of everyone who was impacted by him. I thought that if we continued to tell Rowdy’s story, talk about his message and what he believes, and focus on the “why” behind everything he does, then the momentum behind his story will continue to cascade.

People want to hear real stories that can create a string of positive emotions.

So it was our goal that Rowdy could be a small part in not only spreading the word of vitiligo, but with modern racial tension be a symbol of everyone having the right to be comfortable and confident in their skin.

After his passing, I would scroll through the comments and pictures he was tagged in, and I couldn’t believe what people were saying. People were talking about what he believed.

His message stuck and people were continuing to talk about it.

His genuine story wasn't the least bit artificial, and that's what made him go viral and pick up all the attention that he did from the media.

So now we’re thinking about what we can do to continue to talk about and spread Rowdy’s “why.”

No matter what route we take, I believe that if we continue to share his story and talk about what he believes then Rowdy can continue to be the spark of positive change and awareness.

Everybody has the right to feel comfortable and confident in their own skin.

Josh Umbenhower
