Mexican social media star Yeri Mua recently gained viral attention for a video in which she insults a huipil, a traditional garment worn by Indigenous women from central Mexico to Central America. The video received mixed reactions on social media and was condemned by activist Luz Valdez.
In Mua’s original live on TikTok, she is seen wearing a colorful huipil. As she turns to show it off for the camera, she compares the beautiful garment to “the mop at my grandma’s Estela’s house” and the “tablecloth at my grandma Estela’s house,” all in Spanish. Later, the influencer tries to compliment the garment by saying she looks very pretty and admitting that she underestimated “grandma Estela’s jerga outfit.”
Valdez, whose entire social media presence revolves around promoting and advocating her culture, responded to Mua’s video with facts and some unnecessary jabs. In Spanish, Valdez said, “That garment that Yeri Mua calls ‘jerga’ and ‘grandma’s tablecloth’ is a huipil a musgo estilizado, sown in a back strap loom in Xochistlahuaca, Guerrero. It takes many hours of work and, above all, holds the identity and history of a group of people.”
Valdez also added unnecessary jabs at Mua, saying in Spanish, “No matter what you wear, you’ll look bad, and that has nothing to do with the garment.”
Mua later addressed the controversy in another live video, where she claimed her comments were misunderstood and expressed her hope that she did not offend anyone. In that video, she is seen at an artisanal shop buying a present for her grandma Estela, who supposedly loves these kinds of garments.
While some of Mua’s fans defended her, attributing her comments to her typical sense of humor, most people called her out for her ignorance and lack of respect. They argued that her remarks served as “further proof that people who don’t belong to Indigenous communities have no respect for the work of artisans.”
Furthermore, they stated that her comments were not only proof of her ignorance but also a complete lack of respect.