On social media, there's talk of nothing else: therians have become one of the most discussed viral phenomena in recent months. Videos of young people walking on all fours, wearing animal masks, or barking in the street are circulating on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. And while the debate grows in several countries, there are already those in Cuba who wonder: can you imagine if this reaches the Island?
What are therians?
The term therian refers to individuals who claim to identify spiritually or psychologically with a non-human animal. Some assert that their internal identity corresponds to that of a dog, cat, wolf, snake, or another species. Social media is filled with videos showing them wearing masks, artificial tails, walking on all fours, or recreating behaviors associated with those animals.
The phenomenon has gained visibility especially in countries like the United States, Argentina, and Mexico, where digital communities share experiences and in-person encounters. However, it has also sparked strong criticism and resistance from those who believe it is an extreme trend or a quest for attention on social media.
Cubans react on social media
A young Cuban posted a video on TikTok reacting to the phenomenon. Amid laughter and astonishment, she commented: “And here I am now thinking about the crazies, because I've seen so many videos now of the famous therians. If you don’t know what therians are, they are people who identify as animals and walk the streets barking, wearing masks, crawling like dogs. […] I've seen countless videos from Argentina, countless from Mexico. But all I'm asking for is: God, please, let that not come to Cuba, because you know how creative Cubans can be.”
The young woman, while stating that she is "totally against bullying," expressed her fear that the trend might replicate on the Island: "Don’t let the therians come to Cuba… Can you imagine Cubans being therians? Oh no, please. Don't let that phenomenon come to Cuba."
His video generated hundreds of comments, split between those who took it humorously and those who defended individual freedom.
The Cuban influencer Claudia Artiles was another who reacted without filters: “Now it turns out that people don’t feel like people. They feel like dogs, cats, parrots, unicorns, dinosaurs. No, I don’t understand anything (…) I feel like a flip-flop. I feel like a flying flip-flop, aimed straight at your head when I see you on the street dressed as a cat or a dog.”
"If you identify as a dog, then you go outside to poop, pee, and eat like a dog. Because you can't pee in the bathroom because you want to be a dog, you want to be a cat, but live like humans. I don't understand them," he asserted.
For now, the phenomenon seems to be concentrated outside the Island, but in the age of global social media, nothing takes long to cross digital borders. In Cuba, where popular ingenuity turns any trend into a meme within hours, the question is already circulating among users: would it be taken seriously or would it end up as material for criollo humor?
Meanwhile, the debate continues to grow on digital platforms, with advocates for identity freedom and critics who consider it a fleeting trend taken to the extreme.
And what about you, what do you think? Can you imagine "dog" communities barking along the Malecón in Havana, or will it remain just another internet phenomenon in Cuba?
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