Watch: Teenagers identify themselves as animals; new social media trend goes viral, ‘I like being a dog’

You may have heard of women identifying themselves as men and men identifying themselves as women. Well, in Argentina, some teenagers now identify themselves as animals.

On a recent Sunday, a group of teenagers gathered at a public plaza in Buenos Aires. They dressed and acted like animals, according to AP.

One girl named Sofía wore a realistic beagle mask and ran on all fours across the grass. Another 15-year-old, who calls herself Aguara, jumped over obstacles like a Belgian Malinois dog. Some others dressed as cats and foxes and climbed trees.

Despite her animal identity, Aguara says she is otherwise like any normal teenager.

“I wake up like a normal person and live my life like a normal person. I simply have moments when I like being a dog,” AP quoted her as saying.

These teenagers call themselves “therians”. They say they identify with animals mentally or spiritually.

Aguara, who calls herself the leader of her “pack”, has more than 1.25 lakh followers on TikTok. She organises regular meetups for therians in Buenos Aires.

At one such event, a 16-year-old named Aru wore a seal mask. According to Aru, she belongs to the “otherpaw” group. In that group, people wear masks, tails or move on all fours mainly for fun. But, they do not fully identify as animals.

According to Aru, the trend became popular in Argentina because the country allows people to express themselves freely. For many young people, this movement has created a safe space where they feel accepted and understood.

The trend has recently become popular on Argentine social media, especially on TikTok. The hashtag #therian has crossed 2 million posts, with Argentina leading in Latin America, AP added.

The movement has created mixed reactions. Some people laugh, others feel confused or angry. Psychologists are now studying the trend and discussing its implications.

Social media reactions

Social media users have reacted to an AP video showing the teenagers acting like animals.

“I may not get it, but jumping over four people like that is impressive,” quipped one of them.

“People minding their business, not harming a soul will have some folks in knots,” commented another user.

Another user wrote, “Literally, who cares? They aren't hurting anyone.”

“Some people meet for D&D, LARP, ren faire, while others perform dog tricks… I can get on that!” came from another.

“I’m not sure if anyone is ready to hear this but some kids play with baby dolls and pretend the dolls are REAL babies! Wild stuff, eh?” wondered another.