Find Out What Makes TikTok Star Marika Sila Tick

It’s Women’s History Month, and we’re celebrating by talking to some of Canada’s biggest, and youngest, TikTok stars—fierce young ladies who are taking the social media platform by storm. Our chat with Marika Sila revealed that this content creator, with nearly 280K followers, how she is using her voice to create change, establish community and help women and girls feel seen and understood. —Vita Daily

Hi Marika! Please tell us a little bit about yourself to start!

My name is Marika Sila, I am an Inuit actress and performer. I am also the owner of RedPath Talent an entertainment company that hosts youth empowerment programs and performs at corporate events, weddings, and festivals across North America.

How did you achieve (and continue to maintain) your amazing TikTok following/fame?

I started posting videos to TikTok about 6 months ago when the world went into lock down. At first, I focused on the trends and adding my own personal flare to them, then I started doing my own thing and sharing my performance videos. My hoop dancing seemed to be the most popular and now I am focusing more on educating about my Indigenous/Inuvialuit culture. I basically share whatever I am inspired to that day and whatever is relevant in the world at that time. 🙂

What do you like about TikTok as a platform (as opposed to other forms of social media) and how do you use that platform to influence and inspire those that follow you?

I like using TikTok because of the algorithm. I see it helping so many people finally get the recognition they deserve. Most platforms I feel were focused on making the famous more famous, but I feel like TikTok is of the people—for the people, and it’s a really refreshing take on social media. It’s an exciting app to be on for that exact reason, and I feel like it brings our nation together as a whole. I use TikTok to inspire my followers to do more of what they love and step into their best selves.

What topics do you cover/share most? Where do your passions lie?

I share half entertainment value performance type videos, along with educational clips about my Indigenous culture, and raising awareness about MMIW and the importance of mental health. I feel like it is a healthy balance between education and entertainment where I am able to catch the public’s attention and help spread some awareness at the same time.

Have you ever had to deal with haters on social media? If so, what’s your approach?

When you ‘re in the public eye, dealing with haters is just part of the job. The more recognition you get the more haters you get as well, so I do what I can to ignore the comments and focus on the positive. Every time I get a negative comment I think to myself, “Well, I must be doing something right!”

What have some of the highlights of being so prominent on TikTok been for you?

I have been working for so many years as a full-time performer and actress and when you’re in this industry, it helps a lot to have a strong following, so I would say it has been really fun to finally see some of my hard work pay off in that sense. But it has also brought a lot more opportunities my way so I’m very grateful for that. 🙂

October is Women’s History Month; what is the significance to you, and how are you using your voice to create change, establish community and help women and girls feel seen and understood?

Being a woman in 2020 is an exciting time. I feel like a lot has changed for women in the past 10 years, I believe there has been a paradigm shift in how women are portrayed in the media. I have seen an underlying strength arise in how women express themselves and it’s an empowering time to be a woman and to be a part of this shift. There is a lot of work that still needs to be done, a few things include: equal pay for women in the workplace, equal representation in the supreme court, and justice for MMIW. As an Indigenous woman, I feel the responsibility to be a positive role model and pave the way for future generations. Part of that is raising awareness, standing up for Indigenous rights, and supporting other women who are doing the same. We stand stronger together.

With so many people following you on TikTok, who are some of your favourite female accounts to follow?

Some of my favourite female accounts are: @michelle.c.smith, @tiamiscihk and @gracegoodcirque.

@marikasila