Mennonite Social Media Influencer Rips Up Rulebook

Ciudad Cuauht�moc, M�xico, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 31st Mar, 2022 ) :A rising TikTok star from a Mennonite community in Mexico that once shunned rubber tires and electricity is embracing technology to give a glimpse of her life through social media.

A century after her ancestors arrived, Marcela Enns, 30, shares anecdotes and answers questions from her more than 350,000 followers with a mixture of pride, humor and sarcasm.

Known on social media as Menonita Mexicana, Enns tries to dispel misconceptions, such as that all Mennonites are religious fanatics or members of an ultra-conservative group cut off from civilization.

She describes her community as a "smoothie" -- a blend of "conservatives" living frozen in time; "traditionals" who wear typical Mennonite clothes but also use technology; and "moderners," who due to their appearance and lifestyle are not visibly Mennonites.

Despite their differences, all Mennonites "live happily as they are," she says.

In her videos, she sometimes dances or mimes to Rihanna songs in a break with the customs of a community that in certain parts of Mexico still rejects the trappings of modern life.

In some of her videos shot in Ciudad Cuauhtemoc in the state of Chihuahua -- where her ancestors settled in 1922 -- she wears traditional dress and a headscarf.

In others, she appears in modern clothes, sunglasses and makeup, speaking in Spanish, English or Low German, the community's native language.