Social media has catapulted many influencers to fame. It can either grant them popularity or contribute to their downfall. However, not all fame that the media bestows is positive. A notorious example of this is Ashley Trevino, a 36-year-old TikTok livestreamer who first went viral after multiple memes were created by her.
Trevino first became well-known after she allegedly “went out” with her daughter’s TikTok crush, Santos Salazer, a 19-year-old TikToker. This caused a commotion through her fan base, due to the weird satisfaction she felt from “outdoing” her daughter.
“I’ve heard that she first met Santos through TikTok, because her kids showed her a video of this fine guy on Tiktok,” FHS freshman Livia Isaksson said. “I guess that’s how she first met him. I think the biggest problem about the relationship is that she is 36 and he’s 19.”
Following the new relationship, Trevino released the song “NUNU” talking about her intimate relationship with Salazer. This caused new viewers to start observing Trevino and her daughters’ relationship more carefully, leading to the eventual realization that she was exploiting her children.
Despite Trevino’s daughters insistence on not being mentioned on live streams, Trevino went against their request and talked about their personal situations. She went as far as to compare herself to her children; She was with their dad by the age of 15, while her 15 year old daughters have not have their father around since he passed away from Leukemia. Following this, many viewers had mixed reactions. Some found her amusing and started creating memes out of clips of her live streams, but others found this disturbing and started being more conscious of her. A situation that held a lot of controversy was when she revealed on live that she allegedly abused her daughter. She proceeded to brag about how her daughter still loves her even after the abuse.
“Many find [Trevino’s livestreams] funny, so many people want to give her gifts,” Isaksson said.
Overall, popular encouragement of Trevino has led to a loss of her children’s innocence. In order to continue gaining more views, Trevino has collaborated with Camilla Araujo, one of the most popular streamers of the Bop House. The Bop House is a group of creators who make a living by sharing explicit content with their subscribers. She had also brought her daughters along with her, which is the main reason many viewers were so distraught.
“She brought [her daughters] to the Bop House, I think that says enough,” FHS freshman Salma Elsanhawy said.
Trevino’s story reminds media consumers that with social media, no one can control popularity. Even though viewers know some are not famous for the right reasons, often people still watch them just to pray for their downfall. This unfortunately only leads to their receiving more fame.
