TikTok creator Eric Sedeño makes the internet a brighter place, one wig at a time

*Photo Credit: Aaron Weiss

TikTok can often be a wild and overwhelming place. A constant barrage of videos at your fingertips, with one upward swipe, it can be easy to get lost in the scroll and not engage with what you’re looking at. Unsurprisingly, the app has become a haven for short-form comedic videos an if you have TikTok, chances are there is at least one person on the platform that you turn to for laughs.

Since 2021, one of those people has been Eric Sedeño for me.

In his videos, Sedeño would reshape or restyle the piece that he thrifted, usually with tie dye or something similar. Some of these adventures were successes, others not so much, but what made the videos compelling was Sedeño’s infectious laughter at his own missteps. Holding the garment up to the camera in a state he wasn’t going for, he would burst into laughter at the image, which made me laugh too. 

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A post shared by Eric Sedeño (@ricotaquito)

Born and raised in Dallas, Texas, Sedeño continued his higher education there, studying advertising, art direction, and graphic design. Six years ago, he made the move to New York for work as an art director, and is now a content creator. However, he didn’t start making videos until a romantic relationship fell apart during COVID. 

“And then when I had all that free time and I didn’t have that boyfriend anymore, I just started using that to make content, make funny videos,” Sedeño said. “And one of them just took off, and I felt like it was a whole new window into the world. People had a window into my life, and I got to see the world from a different angle, and it just kind of took off from there.”

The first video that took off was one also related to fashion. Sedeño explained that he had just gotten a mullet, grew out his mustache, and started feeling like a new person after his breakup. While living with some friends, he was approached by a woman he didn’t know who told him he looked intimidating. 

“I’m not intimidating at all, so I was just making fun of that,” Sedeño explained. “I was like, ‘Do I look intimidating? Am I intimidating you?’ And it was just dumb and I was just messing around, and I thought it was super funny. And I posted it and it gradually just got, first, it was like 10,000 likes, so I was like, ‘No way.’ And then it was like [30,000], and then it was 100,000.” 

People go viral on TikTok everyday, but the vast majority of those folks don’t translate that into a career, or a genuine money-making venture. Many others who have made a name for themselves on the app have found that in order to have a career in content creating, TikTok isn’t enough. Sedeño was able to translate his fame on the app into other endeavors, like the podcast, Gay & Afraid, on the Past Your Bedtime network. 

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A post shared by Eric Sedeño (@ricotaquito)

The podcast is currently on hiatus, paused until things slow down for Sedeño. But he loves being in the interviewer seat, asking questions of his guests and getting to interact with other amazing people. He’s alone and talking to the camera in most of his videos, so connecting with others in and outside of the content creator space is a breath of fresh air. 

Not to mention, the multi-hyphenate creative also has a candle company, Groove Gives, which has philanthropic roots. 

“Me and my brother wanted to start a company that had some actionable good attached to it. So every time you buy a candle, we make a donation on your behalf to a local food pantry in Dallas where I’m from. And we’ve been able to give over 20,000 meals with our donations,” Sedeño explained. “It officially started about a year ago. We did a soft launch before that, but it’s been an amazing experience, and I want Groove to evolve into a social good company that does more than just candles.”

While waiting for the podcast to come back, Sedeño has still been making videos, namely favorites featuring a bob wig that becomes a whole host of characters, including Willy Wonka. He also has made quite a few videos of the “I’m/he’s not gay…” format. For example: Sedeño usually stands in the foreground as a female friend (or a Real Housewives cast member) stands in front of him yelling, “He’s not gay, he just loves Shakira because her hips don’t lie!”

Sedeño can have fun debating his queerness in videos for the masses, we’ll be watching them from our phones. For more bob videos, you can follow Sedeño on TikTok and Instagram. 

Dani Janae is a poet and journalist from Pittsburgh, PA. She writes about literature, music, and art with a focus on Black and queer artists. She also writes more personal work about sex, addiction, and fat liberation. She has been published in Refinery29, Vice, GLAAD, Xtra, and elsewhere. 

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