Meet Ashley-Shae Benton

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley-Shae Benton.

Alright, thank you for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us how you got started?
Growing up in Eastern Kentucky, I never felt safe or comfortable enough to come out as gay, even though I knew I liked girls at a young age. I chose to stay silent about my sexuality when I lived there and finally came out of the closet on the day I moved into my first dorm at the University of Louisville. This decision was met with pain, adversity, and hardships. People I loved didn’t necessarily understand the validity of being queer and chose to dismiss this facet of my identity or dismissed my existence altogether. I’ll spare the details, but coming out was not a beautiful experience for me. I lost many people I cared about during this time but found myself along the way. This journey has been long and never-ending, but it has made the most positive impact on my life, and I am so proud of who I am today because of that.

Six years later, I am a loud and proud LGBTQ+ advocate and digital content creator on social media with my better half, Sierra! We started posting on TikTok when we accidentally got quarantined together after our first date and have grown our relationship and social media presence since then. You can now find us on TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, and your preferred podcasting platform!

Aside from the digital sphere, I have made waves within pageantry by sharing my experience as the first openly-lesbian woman competing in the Miss Kentucky Scholarship Organization. I competed at the local level for four years before finally having the opportunity to compete at the state level, where I was able to bring attention to the LGBTQ+ aspect of my identity during an on-stage question. I am excited to be back on the Miss Kentucky stage next summer as Miss Danville 2023 to share my experiences and break some more glass ceilings.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a digital content creator and primarily create short-form video content for TikTok and IG Reels. However, I also create a long-form video, audio, and visual-only content for other platforms. The social media accounts I work with are mine and Sierra’s, and we really try to focus on creating LGBTQ+ relationship content. This can range from sharing our lived experiences to capturing pranks we play on each other to recreating trending content and everything in between. We want our content to be inclusive and holistic, so we try to share a wide variety of valuable content to connect with more people, especially within the queer community. We care about the folks who support us, so we keep our messages open (on platforms that allow us to do so) to make sure we are accessible if our followers want to connect with us or have questions they don’t feel comfortable asking publicly. Our platforms have allowed us to connect with so many people from different backgrounds, and we hope we positively impact each person by being vulnerable and authentic with our content and conversations. We love our relationship and the opportunity to share it with the world on social media.

We all have different ways of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
As a very analytical person, I used to define success in numbers. Success on social media could’ve been growing an audience to 100,000 people, and success in pageantry could’ve been placing within the Top 5 at Miss Kentucky. However, I’ve learned over time that success is not about the numbers or accolades received. Success is our internal measure of pride in what we do, who we are, and the legacy we are creating for ourselves.

Success, to me, is going to bed every night confidently knowing that I have spent my day in a way that is advancing my dreams and goals and touching the lives of others along the way and, if I’m being honest, that success does not look the same day to day. On some days, success may be as small as making my bed in the morning and making it to the gym. On other days, success may be facing a tough exam, finishing up a piece of content, giving a speech, or something crazy that I couldn’t even imagine having the capability of doing. Success is a deeply personal measure that can be flexible, and you can be successful every day as long as you can find a way to be proud of the steps you’ve taken.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashleyshaebug/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqOYXe54wh5VIvtGsNi0mQw
• SoundCloud: https://open.spotify.com/show/0nIMdHJEajZyST0ZFuxRXZ?si=bb6372f8b31547ad
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@ashleyshaeandsi

Image Credits
Personal Photo: Rob Metzger