TikTok & Race Part 3: How is the Latino(a)/Hispanic community represented on TikTok?
Whether it be showing their colorful costumes, sharing their love of music, or cooking recipes, the community has a supportive social media presence throughout
By Stephanie Suazo
How is the Latino(a)/Hispanic community represented on TikTok? Well, it depends. It comes with its fair share of good and bad. Several videos show how Latino(a), Afro-Latino(a), and Hispanics are proud to show their culture through social media. TikTok has been the focal point for many Latino(a) and Hispanic families to share and like several videos that best represent their heritage. Whether it be a video on TikTok of how to make pozole, or watching a traditional dance video, or sharing hashtags like #latinosunidos #hispanosunidos. It’s safe to say that the Latino(a)/Hispanic community has a strong presence on TikTok.
TikToker Matisse Rainbolt (@matisseazul) is one example of how she expresses and educates her culture by using social media. Rainbolt says she hopes to bring smiles by performing Folklorico dances representing different Mexican states. Her dances are inspirational and visually captivating, perfectly depicting the great country of Mexico. TikToker Francisco Parraguirre who dives into his alter ego, Catrina Divina (@catrinadivina) embraces his culture by celebrating the Day of the Dead. He posts stunningly beautiful videos of his transformation from man to calavera. In his own words “Day of the Dead is a way to celebrate life and death. …It’s up to us not to let them die, they will remain alive through our memories”. Mexicans of all walks of life celebrate the Day of the Dead as a way to commemorate loved ones that have passed on. In other words, Dia de Los Muertos/Day of the Dead is an affirmation of indigenous life. Several TikTokers educate others on how they celebrate this day and show videos of how they do so. Instagram celebrity Greeny Camberos, came across TikTok’s Pass the Brush challenge, where several other artists showed their appreciation for the Day of the Dead. According to Camberos, she states “My life revolves around Mexican culture and representing our people”.
Whether you are Mexican, Colombian, Venezuelan, Ecuadorian, Chilean, Cuban, Puerto Rican, among others, the Latino(a)/Hispanic community embraces their culture and isn’t afraid to show it. Social media has been the perfect outlet for many cultures to integrate and learn from one another. TikToker Joniel (@jonielonfire) plays music that native Ecuadorians love and cherish. TikToker Adam Peres(@adamlevineperes) educates the public about the differences between Latinos(a), Hispanic and Spanish. “Latinos also include Brazil and Haiti but they are not Hispanic because both countries don’t speak Spanish”. TikToker Fernanda Cortes (@fernandacortesx) has a series on her channel called “Bad A** Latinas in History”, where she educates her audience about strong female Latinas who paved the way. Many TikTok and Instagram influencers want to bring awareness to others about their Latino(a)/Hispanic roots. Whether it be showing their colorful costumes, sharing their love of music, or cooking recipes, the community has a supportive social media presence throughout. However, there are several underlying issues with the Latino(a)/Hispanic community on Tik Tok that we would like to address here. On TikTok alone, there are several issues involving racism and inequality that hide underneath the veil of social media.
Immigration is definitely a topic that needs to be discussed. Unfortunately, videos of racism against the Latino(a)/Hispanic community are also common on the platform. TikToker Adrian Jr Carrillo (@dandyjr_08) posted a particularly disturbing video where a neighbor was upset by Mexican music. According to Carrillo, the neighbor was saying “F***** Mexicans, go back to your country!” to several family members at the party. That prompted Carrillo to take action. The video depicts Carrillo putting up a wall over him — literally. The neighbor lashed out and left. This symbolic video became viral but it also shows the level of racism today. However, the video did bring awareness of how the Latino(a)/Hispanic community is still struggling with discrimination.
TikToker Abby @ a_bbb.y explains to her audience that a lot of white Latinos used to bully her by saying “Your hair is bad, you’re black…They were trying to exclude me”. Abby states that the same people who bullied her are now saying “oh I’m 13% black or I have black cousins”. Abby finishes her video by saying “These are the same people who are proud of being white when they in their home country”. Honduran TikToker Tally Dilbert (@tally.dilbert) wants to bring awareness to her audience about the Afro-Latino(a) community. In an interview with Texas Monthly, Dilbert says “This is a message for all my Afro-Latina mamacitas out there: you don’t have bad hair. No matter what people say, your skin color is beautiful”. TikToker Dee (@vitamiindee) finds it frustrating when she has to tell people she can speak Spanish. In Dee’s videos, she explains to her audience several instances where people do not believe she’s Latina. Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon for Afro-Latinos(as) to be asked: Do you really speak Spanish? Although it’s a common misconception, it shows how ignorant many people can be about the Afro-Latino(a) community. Although the Afro-Latino(a) community is so heavily underrepresented in our society, they continue to advocate through TikTok and Instagram.
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