A girl went viral on TikTok after pointing out that, in Latin America, all women who are born are forced to carry their father’s last name. Some would like to carry their mother’s.
We are going through a moment of clear change. Many of the customs we have carried over from the last century are being called into question, especially those that have to do with the shaping of society and the role of women in it. More and more young women are noticing some of the patterns of the past, and how they don’t fit into what they understand as the new world order.
Especially in Latin America, there are many aspects that are shocking and could be corrected.
@samanta_ortega
One of the most striking is the predominance of the paternal surname over the maternal. The vast majority of us are constantly called (either by people we know or when we go to run errands) by our first name, followed by our male parent’s last name.
@samanta_ortega
After noticing this and wondering why this is so, a TikTok girls’ video went viral. It’s not that she discovered this phenomenon but that she was able to bring it to the table clearly and succinctly.
@samanta_ortega
Her reflection on why all Latina girls are forced to take their father’s last name led her to wonder why she can’t choose her mother’s last name as well:
«My paternal last name, well it comes from my dad, and my dad’s last name comes from his dad. And my mom’s last name came from her dad because of my grandfather, and my grandfather got his last name from his dad.»
–Samantha Ortega via TikTok–
@samanta_ortega
Her point was seen by many of her followers as a very valid question, while others disagreed wholeheartedly. Some pointed out that she was reading too much into an aspect that has more to do with family traditions and the way the world used to work.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-hbtf8-xEk
Others tried to reach a middle ground, pointing out that the change to this is simple: that once they’re old enough, people can choose the order of their last names, something that is already happening in many countries.