The Whitewashed World of TikTok Has Work to Do, and Rosa and Marlene Are Taking the Lead
“I knew I needed to get a head start,” Marlene Mendez quips from inside the now-too-familiar right angles of a Zoom window while flopping her hair over her head and spraying a gallon of spray into her locks. “Adam makes Rosa happen so fast.”
In a separate rectangular frame, Adam Martinez (known as Adam Ray to his fans) is dipping a brush into a vat of Jaclyn Hill’s Beaming Light loose highlighter. Imagine snow and ice caked on top of a car mirror on the frostiest December day. “It’s the only one that gives off this, you know, special shine,” he explains unnecessarily, like a QVC salesman—even through my low-bandwidth internet connection, I can basically see myself in the reflection of that highlight, which Adam has cut through the apples of his cheeks in two blunt lines.
“I don’t know why I’m so nervous,” he says with a bashful giggle, dotting the tip of his nose with a snowball of the blinding highlight. I’m beginning to feel like the useless friend who showed up to the dinner party too soon watching Adam hide all the cereal boxes on top of his fridge in random cabinets with confused dishes and cups.
Adam sets up his ring light (“the vibes”). His fake eyelashes—one deliberately placed upside down—look like they’re ready to take flight.
Do professional florists feel pressure when customers watch them build a bouquet? Do Michelin-star sushi chefs experience stage fright while patrons ogle at their knife skills through the glass? Well, probably. Adam has been on TikTok for only the past year-ish, but the 73 million Likes on his TikToks speak to the mastery he has over the platform’s short video content. Like the floral artists and the seafood magicians, he doesn’t need to be nervous, but he is because he’s damn good. His concern speaks to the perfection he owns over his craft. While most of us have become lax about our appearances and our productivity (just me? Yeah, didn’t think so) while in quarantine, Adam still feels the fire behind his performances.
Although we’re separated by thousands of miles and a global pandemic, I can still feel the perfectionism in his fingertips as he wraps the “hair” (a black T-shirt) of his TikTok-famous character, Rosa (aka Ms. Open Your Purse), around his head before we film a TikTok with Marlene (@MarleneDizzle), the Ethel to his Lucy.
In case quarantine didn’t peer-pressure you into downloading TikTok, Rosa and Marlene are the platform’s most sincere (and extra) best-friend duo. Their POV videos, stylized as FaceTime calls, are basically your high school conversations—showing off your hickey during third period, being hungover on a Wednesday morning, trying on each other’s glasses. In Adam’s first official video as Rosa in December 2019, she breaks the fourth wall to ask you (yes, you) if you have an extra maxi pad. You don’t, but you help her decide that she should probably go visit the nurse to get one. This video currently has 11.9 million views, nearly 1 million hearts, and comments like “literally me in high school” and “U SOUND LIKE MY TÍA LMFAOOOOO.”
In his TikToks as Rosa, Adam’s voice could fill a school gymnasium. His words are bold, round, and liquid, and his vowels ring out for centuries (“you’re so prettyyyyy-uh”). He adds rhythm to his language by coyly placing a nail between his teeth to punctuate a question or by releasing a cackle straight from the depths of his soul. Adam as Adam is a focused version of Rosa—silly but direct. He, like Rosa, has strong opinions and convictions about who he is, but he laughs at himself in an endearing way that feels like a hug around his own identity.
Rosa is inspired by Adam’s native South Texas. “It’s a familiar feeling to me. That persona or that attitude of a boss woman,” he explains while striking his own lighting. “I was around women growing up my whole entire life,” he continues, “so it’s kind of just in my head all the time now. Rosa’s there to help you out, and she’s going to protect you, no matter what it takes.” She’s an outspoken sweetheart who will welcome a new student just as quickly as she’ll confront her ex at a party. Don’t come for Rosa. Coming for Rosa is a grave mistake.
Unless you’re Marlene. Marlene, who hails from Los Angeles, quietly transforms into her TikTok character in her own Zoom window while Adam and I chat. She operates like an (extremely polite) boa constrictor: slyly and with a purpose. “The first time I saw Adam’s TikTok videos, I just thought it was really hilarious,” she says of her discovery of Rosa. “Like, my first video on TikTok was actually the reaction to Adam.” She posted this reaction video (that’s TikTok speak for a video in which your response plays simultaneously alongside the creator’s original TikTok) a month after Adam created the original.
Her persona, also named Marlene, was inspired by who she was in high school. “I was the type of girl that would eat hot Cheetos in the morning and would always have, like, an AriZona Iced Tea on her side,” she says. “After I saw that people loved my videos, they kept asking for more and more.” Since that first video in January, she’s gained more than half a million followers and nearly 8 million Likes.
Adam reached out to Marlene after he saw one of her reaction videos on Twitter. Marlene continued to react to his videos, and months later during a trip to L.A., Adam visited Marlene’s house for their first IRL friend date, where they ate pozole, a traditional Mexican soup, made by Marlene’s mom. “We didn’t even feel like it was our first date,” Marlene recalls. “I felt like we already knew each other, you know? I don’t know. It was really nice.” They agree that the phrase “soul mates” applies here.
Adam and Marlene’s friendship only grew stronger after their in-person meeting, evolving into the sentence-finishing kind that we all aspire to find at least once in our lives. “People around us who are not familiar with who we are say, ‘Wait. Y’all are like best friends.’ Because they see our energy and they hear us talking and they just know that me and her, we’re like one,” Adam says. Without missing a beat, Marlene adds, “We just vibe really well.”
They continued to celebrate nuances from their Latinx culture, bringing chongos (hair ties) and necio (slang for a stubbornly annoying person) to a large captive audience on TikTok. This is a step toward diversifying the very white influencer market on the platform, which is perpetuated by mostly white content “houses,” like the Hype House and the Sway House. For Adam and Marlene, representing their own cultures and empowering other underrepresented cultures on TikTok is more important than ever right now. “If I have a platform where I can share nothing but diversity, then why not?” Adam says.
His fans have latched on to his (and Rosa’s) unbothered, unapologetic attitude as much as he has. In fact, if they never approached him in public, his mom would have never known he was famous. “She was like, ‘Wait, what’s happening? Why are these people coming up to you?’” he says. “And I had to explain to her like, ‘Hey, Mom. I’m making these videos that are making people happy.’ She’s super supportive and she loves it.” This tangible IRL support is imperative for an online influencer because, well, you know how the internet is. “Once you’re surrounded by people you love, they’ll always remind you who you really are,” Marlene says. “Even if you see a million negative comments, you won’t let that get to you because you know who you are as a person.”
By deep-diving into a quasi-fictional character, Adam was able to discover his authentic self. “It kind of teaches me that I can do whatever I want,” Adam says. “It just makes me feel powerful because Rosa is literally a part of me. I didn’t make this character up. She’s literally inside of me and she is a part of my everyday life. If it brings people this joy, then that just makes me 10 times happier.” He hangs on the last word with an accomplished laugh, like when a parent watches their child ride their bike without training wheels for the first time. He, Rosa, and Marlene aren’t kids anymore on this platform. They have a PR team, they have sponsorship deals, they’re being interviewed by Cosmo. They’re the friends who were voted Most Likely to Succeed and chased their prophecy.
The duo has big plans and dreams to expand their impact on and beyond TikTok. Adam would love to go on tour with the RCU (the Rosa Cinematic Universe, comprised of Adam, Marlene, and TikTok creator Carlos Pereda, who is lucky enough to be Rosa’s boo) once gathering en masse is allowed again. Marlene would love to do more collabs with Adam on YouTube, but on a larger scale, she has her sights on developing a makeup collection. “I learned how to do my own makeup by watching my mom do hers and by watching YouTube tutorials,” she says. “I’m really into makeup, so something along those lines would be my dream.”
Business deals aside, Adam hopes to use his fame to be a champion for communities close to his heart. His platform isn’t only a stage for him but also for all individuals who need more representation. “I just want to be an advocate for so many things,” he says. “Whether it’s being plus-size, being a gay man—I just want to be able to let people know that it’s okay to be yourself.”
As Marlene finishes scrunching her curls with hairspray and mousse, Adam puts the final touches on his Rosa’s “hair.” “When I used to wear press-on nails for these videos, I had to do the hair first so a nail wouldn’t get stuck in the shirt and rip off,” Adam says. He has full-on crystal-dotted acrylics now, so he doesn’t have to worry about such casualties.
His eyes are now glowing beneath his feathery eyelash creatures that could tickle me through the screen. He’s loose and confident after bantering and plotting with his best TikTok friend. Marlene asks, “Are you ready to start filming, dude?” Adam clicks his compact mirror shut and nods. Bitch, it’s time to create.
Fashion: Adam, first image: Echo scarves. Kenneth Jay Lane earrings. W. Britt ring. The M Jewelers necklace. Marlene, orange dress look: Victor Glemaud dress. Fendi sunglasses. Echo scarf. The M Jewelers earrings. Marlene, green dress look: Paloma Wool top and dress. Lele Sadoughi headband. Jennifer Fisher earrings and ring. Adam, eye mask look: Kenneth Jay Lane earrings. W. Britt ring. Marlene, eye mask look: Olivia von Halle pajamas. Machete earrings. Lady Grey ring. Ryan Porter necklace. Miu Miu sunglasses. Adam, ring pop look: Echo scarves. Monies earrings. The M Jewelers necklace.
Crew: Director of Photography and Associate Creative Producer: Ruben Chamorro; Photographer: Luis Carlos Mendez; Makeup: Eros Gomes; Manicure: Elizabeth Garcia; Writer/Snapchat Editor: Mia Lardiere; Creative Director: Abby Silverman; Fashion Director: Cassie Anderson; Beauty Director: Julee Wilson; Entertainment Director: Maxwell Losgar; Senior Visuals Editor: Raydene Salinas Hansen; Supervising Producer: Abbey Adkinson; Video Director: Liesl Lar.
Special thanks to Polaroid; Camera: Polaroid Now i‑Type Instant Camera; Film: Daydream Edition I-Type Color Film.
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