Pero Like and mitú: Latina Content Creators, Social Media Entertainment, and the Politics of Latinx Millenniality

In 2016, Buzzfeed announced the creation of Pero Like, a Facebook page and YouTube channel that would “look at the myriad identities under the ‘Latinx umbrella,’” including “[B]laxicans in LA, Tejanos in Corpus Christi, Cubans in Miami (and their abuelitas), and everyone who’s been told they don’t ‘look Latina.’” Pero Like followed the footsteps of mitú, a new media multi-channel network created in 2012 to target younger, bicultural Latinx audiences who are avid internet users and overlooked by legacy media. This article analyzes how Latina millennial digital content creators negotiate, mediate, and contest Latinidad through social media entertainment. It focuses on four of the most popular Latina creators featured on mitú and Pero Like: Jenny Lorenzo, Kat Lazo, Julissa Calderon, and Maya Murillo. In doing so, the article explores how these creators articulate the politics of Latinx millenniality through a focus on cultural specificity, panethnicity, generational differences, language practices, race and racism, and beauty standards.