There is a question you’ve probably never asked yourself unless you stumbled upon it on social media. And if you have, then you know you want to know “What’s Dawn Sauvignon wearing?” The answer comes in a rapid-fire, performance video in which Dawn Sauvignon’s explanation of her wardrobe is also commentary on life in the era of Covid-19. Caution: Dawn Sauvignon can be profane, but you may be laughing too hard to notice.
Dawn Sauvignon is actually the alter ego of Dawn Drouillard, formerly of Grand Marais and now a resident of Northeast Minneapolis. While the videos are new, Dawn Sauvignon has been around for a while. Drouillard said the character originated 15 or 16 years ago.
“I met my husband while living in LA and our friend Don the Professor started calling me that,” she says. “I’ve tried to keep her separate from my personal life.”
While Drouillard has a career in cooking, she has a strong background in performance and majored in theatre in college. Her videos are more polished than the average amateur social media post.
“I started doing the videos because I have no disposable income due to Covid-19 and I’m surrounded by all of my fashion accessories,” she says. “They’re not really worth anything now.”
Drouillard owns a catering company and says “Covid is not good for that industry.” She caters for large events, which are unlikely to return to “normal” for a year or longer. So, what can a creative caterer do with all of her Covid-induced free time? Make social media videos, of course.
“I started with TikTok because it has a really fun editing tool and you can add music,” she said about the videos, which are also posted on Instagram and Facebook.
She films the videos using a smart phone and a selfie stick. All are scripted in advance, so she can keep the video less than a minute in length. Everything Dawn Sauvignon talks about is real, says Drouilllard. That would include the country music-loving Satanist from Oklahoma.
“We used to cook together and we bonded over country music,” she said. “That’s how we became friends.”
In that particular video, Dawn Sauvignon begins riffing off Loretta Lynn songs, except she’s a coronavirus survivor rather than a coal miner’s daughter. It’s one of the unexpected twists that make the videos fun to watch. Sometimes, Dawn Sauvignon delivers biting commentary.
“Dawn Sauvignon can say all sorts of things that Dawn Drouillard should keep quiet about,” Drouillard says.
The real Dawn’s goal with the videos is to provide some levity to her viewers against the serious backdrop of the pandemic. She does so by poking fun at herself.
“I’ve got a closet full of nothing,” she says. “I don’t have a 401K, but I’ve got this pair of Gucci sunglasses…”
So far, Drouillard has produced about a dozen videos and has scripts for nearly a dozen more. She’s also considering Dawn Sauvignon cooking videos, but she’ll need assistance with the camera work. If that happens, viewers will discover that Dawn Sauvignon really cooks.
To follow Dawn Sauvignon on Instagram, visit: instagram.com/dawn_sauvignon.