A Cuban couple residing in Miami has become a topic of conversation on TikTok after posting a 15-second video in a water park in South Florida that has garnered over 105,100 views in just three days.
The clip was published last Sunday by the account @manijoyerosdelosautos, identified as "Manolin auto LLC," and has generated 497 comments and 233 shares, figures that reflect the polarization it sparked among users.
The element that caught the most attention was the man's neck, adorned with several gold chains featuring large and eye-catching pendants, complemented by sunglasses and a watch on his wrist.
She, for her part, is wearing a short dress with a floral pattern in golden and white tones, a beige wide-brimmed hat, flat sandals, and a gold necklace.
Behind the couple, there are slides in neon purple and pink, orange and yellow umbrellas, lounge chairs, and tall palm trees, a typical summer scene in South Florida.
The comments were split between ridicule and support. Among the criticism, phrases such as "Ridiculous," "God, I better not comment," and "The look of the bread with steak" appeared.
On the other hand, other users responded with messages like "You have good assets around your neck. Blessings" and "Keep having fun with what others suffer, blessings to that lovely couple."
This last sentence summarizes a recurring tension on social media between Cubans in the diaspora who showcase their prosperity and those who remain on the Island under difficult conditions.
The video is part of a well-documented cultural phenomenon within the Cuban community in Miami: the display of gold jewelry, luxury cars, and ostentatious lifestyles as markers of identity and success among immigrants.
Gold chains also have a practical value in Cuban culture: they serve as a form of savings and store of value in the face of economic instability, which explains their prevalence both on the Island and among emigrants in the United States.
This debate is not new. In January of this year, a Cuban went viral for admitting that she "failed as a Cuban" precisely because she did not have gold, did not live in Florida, and did not adhere to those stereotypes of the diaspora, sparking a broad discussion about what it means to be Cuban outside the Island.
In May, another viral video showed a Cuban in New Jersey who sent her mother in Cuba a set of gold chain and earrings, eliciting great emotion and thousands of reactions.
The couple's outfit, particularly the man's chains, has turned this brief summer clip into the latest episode in a debate that the Cuban community in exile has yet to resolve.
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