Argentina has recently seen a surge in “animalism” trends, with teenagers often gathering to wear masks and dress up as cats and dogs, mimicking their crawling and jumping movements.

They post these activities online, attracting a large following.

Some participants say they only identify with these animals at certain times and live lives no different from normal people.

However, psychologists have begun to pay attention to this subculture.

Animalism has rapidly gained popularity on Argentine social media, with over 2 million related posts on TikTok.

Some psychologists have begun studying this phenomenon, finding it evokes complex social emotions, including confusion or indifference, but also anger.

However, as long as it doesn’t harm others, some parents can accept it as part of their children’s growth, believing that their children’s happiness is what matters.

Business opportunities

The trend includes teens meeting in public parks, wearing animal masks/tails, moving on all fours, and building online followings, with #therian surpassing 2M TikTok posts. Ventures this type of content can inspire:

• Creator commerce brand: niche Shopify store for masks, tails, ears, gloves/paw-shoes; custom commissions; “starter kits”
• AR/digital goods studio: TikTok/Snap filters, avatar packs, mask design templates, CapCut editing presets for “therian/quadrobics” clips
• Meetup/event layer: park-meet coordination app/Discord-as-a-service, ticketed workshops, waiver templates, venue partnerships, safety marshals
• Movement coaching: “quadrobics” technique classes, injury-prevention programs, online coaching subscriptions
• Youth safety & moderation tools: keyword risk alerts, anti-bullying toolkits, community rules-as-a-service for teen groups
• Parent education media: newsletter + webinars (“what it is / how to talk about it”), downloadable discussion guides for schools
• Mental-health adjacent services (non-pathologizing): therapist directory + referral intake, “identity exploration” coaching, boundary-setting resources (focus on wellbeing, not labeling)
• Trend intelligence product: social listening dashboards for brands/media on youth subcultures in LATAM (insights reports, not doxxing)

Curious what you think—is this harmless self-expression, or does it raise real concerns?

Share your perspective in the comments, and I’ll reply to every message with a thoughtful follow-up.