Meet Cynthia Diaz, a Latina TikToker, beauty creator and soon to be musical artist

“The best thing you can do is find something you love and do it with passion and with drive and community and just love for the culture behind you, never forgetting where you come from and reminding those that come after you of the stories of your own parents, being that first generation to come here and look for a better life,” said Cynthia Diaz.

Diaz is paving the way as a first-generation Latina in her family by stepping into the world of beauty content creation on social media. But Diaz’s career didn’t start overnight.

She had to experience difficult life lessons that oftentimes many first-generation children go through and as a coping mechanism, she started to use makeup as a form of self-expression.

Her father, from Honduras, and her mother, from El Salvador, both decided to immigrate to the United States in the hopes of providing better opportunities for her and her brother. Diaz has been raised in Los Angeles since she was 12.

She started to show an interest in the makeup industry while in high school. She would watch many YouTube tutorials, trying to remake makeup looks for herself. “I sat in front of a mirror and tried to do a blue eyeshadow tutorial. And once I did it, I looked at myself in the mirror and I was like, wait, I'm pretty good,” she said.

Right after graduating high school, Diaz decided to go to beauty school and ever since then,  doors have opened up for her that she didn't think would ever open. She has worked on music videos for big artists like Post Malone, Nicki Minaj, J Balvin, Daddy Yankee and Ozuna, musical artists she grew up listening to. “To be in the space of that creative world, just because of makeup, was like, whoa. And being Latina, I just thank God every day I get to do what I love and get to meet incredible creatives throughout the journey,” Diaz said.

One of her most iconic looks on her social media platforms is the idea she came up with of putting flags together on top of white butterflies, which is as a symbol of unity. “Seeing it in one picture, like, it was really cool,” Diaz said. “I've gained a lot of Latino community because of that and because of my expression for it through makeup, and I think it's pretty cool that you can give a message through it. Makeup, it's not just like a trendy thing; it's community.”

Responses have been edited for clarity and brevity.

What inspires you, and how do you come up with fresh content ideas?

“You know what? I think life inspires me. I think spending time with my mom, watching my favorite show and seeing other people be freely expressive online, it just pushes me more to want to use my own voice for  unity and community and just have fun with the makeup looks. And if I see something and I don't see it, I'm like, OK, well, why do I have to wait for somebody to be that representation when I can do it myself too?"

"And it doesn't matter if one person sees it; it doesn't matter if two people see it. It's just whoever it impacts, whoever it's for, it's for. And I just love creating. I'm not really doing it for  another purpose of, oh, I want to gain fame or this or that. I honestly just want to gain a community that feels the same way about what I express with my art and find inspiration through it, too.”

What are the biggest challenges you've faced as a TikTok creator or just as a content creator overall?

“One of the challenges is looking for representation. I think as a Latino creator, I think we revolve around drama online, and I want us to revolve around our strength, our resilience, our storytelling, our beauty and our culture. And I think that [since] being on TikTok, I think I've wanted to be that representation because, like I said, I've been waiting for somebody to represent, waiting for someone to speak up about things or speak about certain topics and it's like maybe it's not for them to speak about; maybe it's me trying to use my own voice.

“So, those are the difficulties in the industry looking for someone to represent you when you don't see your own skin tone or you don't see the same hairstyle or the same forehead or the same nose or the same lips or cheeks or head shape and you're am I, up to a part? Latinas come in all different shapes and sizes and tones and it's beautiful and I think that we all deserve a light on us. That's why we all need to sparkle, waiting to spread our wings.”

Have you had any bad experiences in the art industry?

“Heavy question. I have many. I freshly got out of a toxic workspace and I think they made me feel like my voice didn't matter. They made me feel like I wasn't able to achieve anything, achieve what I wanted without them, and they manipulated and gaslighted me, making me feel like I wasn't worth anything, wasn't worth the time or worth teaching in a sense of how to be successful and I think that they looked at me being Latina as something they shouldn't get taught financial literacy; she didn't get taught business strategies so they took advantage of my eagerness and newness to want to overcome  where I come from and break generational cycles. 

“Sorry, I'm kind of shaking just talking about it. I think for me it was, oh my God, it's exciting because it's a new experience and I've always wanted to work with an artist and just be one-on-one and build with somebody, and they sold me a dream and then [it was]  years of my life of just constant anxiety. Online it would look like, oh my God, she's killing it, she's doing this, she's doing that. But in my room, I'm crying myself to sleep. I kind of laugh because, you know, I'm going to go through the motions, but, yeah, it was a difficult situation.

“I think I still have a little bit more to heal from and I think expressing that story is going to get easier, but sometimes it's kind of hard to give the whole rundown because when I say it out loud, I'm like, wow, I really went through it. So that was an experience I didn't know I was in, and so when I got out of it, I was like, whoa.”

I know your followers want to know, are there any new projects you are currently working on?

“In beauty, yes, there are a couple of things I have in store that I'm waiting to announce. I also have projects not with beauty. Music is something that I am involving myself in now. All these years I've helped other music artists with their creative aspects and endeavors, and I want to see what happens if I put all my creativity into me in the music space and represent Latinas, especially Central American Latinas that are missing that representation in music. I want them to just have fun with it and I want them to hear the music and be like, oh my God, she's Salvadorian and she's representing Honduras and Guatemala in the song. I've always wanted to hear that growing up because  you hear those other songs and it's Mexicana, Colombiana, and I love all of you guys, but what about the Central American girlies? So that's how I feel.

“Music is something that's coming and it's coming very soon, and I have some music videos and some visualizers and some makeup looks and hair looks coming soon.”

What advice would you offer other Latinas who aspire to become content creators or artists?

“Sometimes I need to hear it myself, but stop self-doubting and just go for it. You don't know what will happen if you just try, and if you just take a chance on yourself and don't be afraid to be uncomfortable, don't be afraid to look like you can't do it, because with practice and with consistency and with continuing to believe in yourself and growing those skills, you're going to get better and better and better. And then eventually people won't believe it until they see it. So as long as you see a vision for yourself, that's all that matters.

“And if it takes however long for you to get to where you need to, or if it takes tomorrow and you're there, everyone's journey is different and never compare yourself because what's meant for you is going to be uniquely made for you and whatever happens tomorrow in the next few years was meant for you and not for anybody else and it's going to help somebody someday when you tell your story.”