You’ve heard of the Hype House and the Sway House, but have you ever heard anything more iconic than a group of mom influencers? ChicasGo is a group of 11 Argentinian mothers living in South Florida. Their Instagram presence has grown since their start in 2019—now at 2,418 followers—all thanks to their lifestyle, food and traveling content. Their content focuses on showing different restaurants and events in South Florida, but they also take it upon themselves to document their traveling experiences in order to expand their audience. The women of ChicasGo met in Weston through connections in the Hispanic, more specifically the Argentinian, community.
The wonderful women of ChicasGo are: Flavia Melchi, Gabriela Acosta, Graciela Sirotich, Karina Gallosi, Luz Colmenero, Mariana Wickmann, Pato Tomasino, Silvina Scolaris, Soledad Piekut, Veronica Beltran and Viviana Barber.
Their Instagram is not only helpful for finding different things to do around South Florida, but it can also bring comfort to anyone who has just moved there and needs some guidance. From farmer’s markets to polo clubs, these Argentinian mothers make their way through life with excitement, love and laughter.
I got the pleasant opportunity to sit down and speak to Flavia, Graciela and Veronica. This is what they had to say on behalf of the group.
Her Campus (HC): How would you describe ChicasGo?
ChicasGo (CG): We are a group of friends who have a lot in common, including being Argentinian, exploring new places and enjoying where we live as if we were tourists. We also like to show another side of Miami, because we feel like a lot of people think Miami is just beaches and shopping malls. Our focus is also to show the art, historical features and hidden gems that bring character to the city. Miami is much more beautiful than we imagined, and we found that people that live here tend to know more interesting places, so we want to show that. We feel fortunate to live here.
HC: Whose idea was it to start this group? How did it start?
CG: The idea just sort of happened. We always took pictures when we went out and posted them on our personal accounts and when we saw how much people liked that, we just made an Instagram for the group and it took off. We noticed that it would be all 11 of us together all the time; it was a sign. And as for the name, it was all through brainstorming different ideas!
HC: What was the main goal for creating a social media presence?
CG: Our main goal has always been to show Miami and other cities in South Florida. We focus on everything there is to offer, not just typical tourist locations. It was also important that we show it from our perspective as mothers and working women. We notice that it is usually younger people showing their point of view, so we wanted to display our insights. Hopefully, people can look at our Instagram and get new ideas for their trips.
HC: Do you see yourselves doing this forever, if given the opportunity?
CG: We do; I mean, why not? We look at it as going with the flow. There is not necessarily a timeline we have set. As long as we keep finding new places and coming up with new ideas, we plan to continue. There are always new places to discover and doing so as a group of friends is fantastic, and we have a lot of fun doing so. Also, keep in mind that this is not our job, it’s something we enjoy as friends, but we do not rely on our social media to make a living. We treat it as our recess time from being a mother; it is time for our friends and us. What brings us together as friends is our interest and love for taking photos, planning and enjoying the moment.
HC: What advice do you have for mothers who may also want to take on an “influencer” role?
CG: Are we influencers? I love that. Women who want to do this should just have fun with it! Don’t stress about it. Try it out, and if you enjoy it, that’s awesome. Don’t take yourself too seriously and don’t look at it as an obligation or a job. The main idea should not be to gain followers, but rather to have fun with your friends or even with yourself while sharing your ideas. Being able to connect with people is also a satisfying feeling. We’re normal women. After our outings together, we get home and have to do anything a mother has to, or we get home from work and then get ready to go out as friends. Patience is also key; give it time and don’t give up right away.
HC: Would you say there are any downsides to creating a social media presence on top of being a mother and working woman?
CG: Sometimes the downside can be exactly that: finding time to be both. It can get tricky finding time throughout the day to go out and have fun. It’s not entirely easy, but we still love it. Since this isn’t our job, it feels nice to be able to fully enjoy it and take a more relaxing role with it. Spending a couple of hours with your friends with no extra pressure feels great after a long day. We think there are more pros than cons for sure. If we get hate, we just delete or block. We aren’t going to let that get in our way.
HC: What are some opportunities—business or lifestyle—that have been given to you because of ChicasGo?
CG: There have been some, such as getting invited to events and restaurants. We haven’t gotten sponsorships or things like that, but there have been times when restaurants have paid for our meals as a group or we get special invites. For example, we have gotten invited to go watch polo matches, restaurant openings and different other events. Interestingly, we get DM’s from people asking to join us on our plans, but because of COVID-19, we haven’t taken those opportunities quite yet. The pandemic definitely set us back, but we are looking to make that happen. We take the pandemic seriously and want everything we do to be safe for everyone. We’ve also done Instagram live streams with influencers in Argentina to expand our audience and content.
ChicasGo is a prime example of allowing yourself always to have fun no matter your age, where you live or what your job is. Next time you find yourself in Miami and want some tips and tricks to navigate the city, make sure to give ChicasGo a follow!
This interview was translated from Spanish and shortened for clarity.
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