Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrea De Castro.
Hi Andrea, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Hi! I am Andrea de Castro, 24 y.o. famous Creator on TikTok (@andreacarodecastro), living in Miami.
I would say my story begins like everyone else’s. Posting on TikTok was the only thing that gave me something to do that was fun while trying to graduate college and keep myself entertained during the pandemic. I was enjoying making videos and watching my friends make videos as well. You don’t really think about the amount of people that your video is going reach until you post that one video. The one video that reaches hundreds of thousands of people overnight.
For me, what gave me the title as “influencer” was when I started posting videos of my sister Diana and I dancing to Latin music. I would receive a flood of comments that would bring up our ethnicity and image. Not necessarily rude but comments that resembled “Look at these white girls go!” or “They aren’t Latinas, right?” At first, we couldn’t imagine why it was so hard to believe we were Puerto Rican since we know so many families and friends that look like us, but we also understood it. It’s not a person’s first instinct to look at two blondes with light eyes and think Latina. So, I went along with it. I continued to post videos of my sister and I dancing to all types of Latin songs and genres.
Not only was I doing something that brought me joy, but I viewed it as a way to show people that there isn’t a specific look to a Latina but in reality, we come with all different skin types, hair/eye color, and build. From there on, I continued to post videos of myself doing whatever TikTok trend was going on at the time, my family, and anything that brought me excitement to post. It became something that was and currently is such a passion for me. It allowed me to connect with many people around the world and also educate in a way. Get rid of the stigma that Latin women are only brunettes or women with a darker skin tone. The Latin music and culture have powers that no other culture holds. It reaches people all over the world no matter what language they speak. This platform makes me believe that through Latin music and dance, I was able to reach many people and make them feel the happiness that this music and culture brings me.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It hasn’t always been a smooth road. I really had to know how to time manage my day because filming can take up most of your time. Knowing how to balance filming with all the other stuff a person has to do in their life was a struggle for me. You can put a lot of your time and effort into a video and when you post it, it doesn’t receive the recognition you feel it deserves. You start to get discouraged and forget the reason as to why you are doing those videos in the first place. Because they bring you joy and remembering that all the way through no matter the outcome of the video is the most important part. Putting yourself as well as your personal life out there gives people the choice to comment/judge you and your life. They start to see you as just an entertainer and not a real person with feelings. Learning how to separate the negative comments from the comments of the people that actually support you and your videos is really important as well.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
What I do as a creator on TikTok is to post videos that my followers can relate too or just have fun watching. I want them to be able to escape from the stress that the real world brings them and give them a space to just be themselves. I want to post about my life, my friends, my travels, my struggles, and just give them someone to talk to/relate to. I’m proud of the work that I put in to reach the following that I have.
What sets me apart from the others is that I will always be true to myself no matter the cost. People will lose a sense of who they are or there values just to get a lot of views in a video and that is something I will never fall into. It takes up a lot of your time and I’ve always had to balance it with either work or school so it hasn’t always been the easiest hill to climb but I’m proud of where I have gotten and don’t plan on stopping anytime soon.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
Something surprising about myself is that I am trying my best to live two different lives. I love posting videos on my TikTok and connecting with my followers but I am also doing that while working at a medical laboratory that focuses in Oncology. I will soon be studying to become a Histotechnologist and trying to balance that with my other life. It gets stressful at times but you only have one life and I’m trying to make the most of mine.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreacarodecastro/
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@andreacarodecastro?lang=en
