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Social media has become a platform of diverse creators. However, with this rise in diversity, there has also been a rise in harmful representation within various racial communities, specifically the Hispanic and Latino community. Creators like Ash Trevino, Shawty bae, and Britney and Garik have gained exposure over the past few months. As their platforms grow and more people begin to interact with their content, so does a toxic perception of Hispanic and Latino people. This perception becomes very harmful because of all the backstories and content these creators promote.
One of these creators, Ash Trevino, has been involved in relationships with inmates, has had over 20 CPS cases, and exploits her family drama and daughters for money on live streams. And Britney and Garik have repeatedly revolved their content around the stereotype of Britney being the, “loud and spicy Latina girlfriend,” while Garik encourages Britney to drop out of high school. The issue with these creators' social media presence is the fact that they feed into very damaging stereotypes for all Hispanic and Latinos, contributing to a negative environment for the community. Many creators in this space prioritize profit over meaningful discussions about social or political issues or even self-improvement. As a result, younger generations begin to adopt the mindset that education and hard work is useless.
A 12th grade Hillcrest High School student, Camila, stated, “I would say specifically Ash Trevino, she does a good job of being a bad influence on Hispanic culture. I think a lot of the stuff that she talks about and the way she interacts with other Hispanic creators is a really bad form of expressing what Hispanic culture is because she just has it kind of on the surface level and the stuff that she expresses on her platform is just a really negative form of content.” New creators keep gaining fame for the wrong reasons. Ash Trevino is a prime example of this and refuses to acknowledge her wrongdoings even after being called out multiple times.
A Hillcrest High School teacher, Ms. Kraft, had many things to say about Ash Trevino as well. “Nothing positive. From what I've seen, I don’t really like to interact with her page because I don’t want my For You page with only her. But the pages that recap her life, she is consistently putting her children in really bad situations. Like the most recent one … and bringing her 13 and 15 year old to a very inappropriate home and then just not representing herself in a positive way.” She also stated, “I find it unfortunate because I feel like this is the negative side of social media where like, yes she is making a living, but it is unfortunate that people are paying to watch her and ruin her life as in turn ruin her daughters’ lives without realizing the impact that she’s having on them. It’s one of those situations that you just can't look away from, you know, it's a train.” Ash Trevino is an incredibly hated creator by many age groups. She is shown to be a terrible influence not only on the internet but also within her own family.
Finally, Ms. Kraft had this to say, “Personally, I wouldn't say I could speak on that. I don't know anything outside of those two individuals that I had mentioned. I wouldn't say that they do a great job representing their culture at all. I do know that there are positive influences and influencers on TikTok that are of Hispanic and Latina heritage, and I do think that it's unfortunate that there are those toxic ones that kind of ruin what other people who are trying to promote the positive side of their backgrounds and where they come from. I think it kind of waters down what they're trying to do and their representation.”
Social media has given many creators a platform, influencing how communities are perceived. Some Hispanic and Latino creators have gained attention for content that sparks debate about representation. While some see this as entertainment and others believe it reinforces stereotypes. At the same time, there are also creators who focus on highlighting positive aspects of their culture. As social media continues to grow, the impact of different types of content on cultural perceptions remains an important conversation.
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