How Influencers Have Changed Fashion - An Interview With Notable TikToker @Kaptin.kenuckles
An inside look into how a TikTok star uses fashion as an expression of freedom in identity.
by CHRISTINE KIM ★ SEPTEMBER 28, 2020
Kenny Tatis is an up-and-coming TikTok star who uses his platform to talk about politics, the LGBTQ+ community, fashion, and breaking gender-typical stereotypes through fashion choices. This interview provides an inside look into how he uses fashion to express himself on social media and how you can too!
How do you express yourself through fashion?
“I feel like fashion is so important to who I am as a person because my clothing very much reflects how I am feeling that day. Social media opened my mind to many different styles of clothing from classic to indie to [alternative fashion] and everywhere in between.”
Credit: Kenny Tatis
How has social media helped and changed how you express yourself?
“I like to think my style is very unique and always changing, and being on social media has taught me many ways to upcycle clothing to better suit my personal style, whether it be to crop the shirt or turn a T-shirt into a button-up. Either way, clothing and fashion are definitely my favorite ways to express myself and show the world who I am.”
Credit: Kenny Tatis
What message do you want to share with your followers on your social media platforms and how do you do that through fashion?
“My goal when it comes to social media is to create a welcoming environment [that] promotes education and normalizes the differences between people. I do this not only speaking out on political issues but also by being unapologetically being myself through my style. I make videos trying to de-stigmatize femininity in men by wearing stereotypical feminine clothing.”
Credit: Kenny Tatis
You talk a lot about being part of the LGBTQ+ community. Has fashion helped you to transition into your own identity?
“Once I came out as gay my appearance was probably the biggest form of liberation for me. I became a lot more confident in who I was and started to dress for myself instead of dressing to try and hide who I am.”
UGirls are always trying to use clothing and fashion trends as a way to help us express ourselves, and hopefully these tips from @Kaptin.kenuckles will inspire you to continue dressing for yourself and no one else!
Cover photo credit: Instagram (@kennie.tatis)