What is femicide? Mexican TikToker Valeria Marquez's murder sparks theories

Valeria Marquez's death is being investigated as a suspected femicide, amid the alarming rise of violence against women in Mexico.

Valeria Marquez, a 23-year-old Mexican beauty influencer and TikTok star, was fatally shot on Tuesday night in Zapopan, Mexico. Sitting inside her beauty salon, she smiled into the camera as she livestreamed to her fans. 

Valeria Marquez, a 23-year-old beauty influencer from Mexico, was shot and killed during a livestream in her salon. ( @v___marquez via REUTERS)

The Mexican beauty was opening a delivery, a stuffed animal, as the livestream continued, an armed man entered the salon and opened fire. Valeria was shot and collapsed on camera. At first, some of her viewers thought it might be a prank. But it wasn’t. The livestream kept rolling until a not-so-familiar face finally picked up the phone and ended it.

The shooting happened inside Valeria’s salon, Blossom The Beauty Lounge, located in the Santa María shopping plaza in the Real del Carmen neighbourhood. Authorities quickly responded, and the Jalisco State Prosecutor’s Office launched an investigation. Her death is being treated as a suspected femicide, a specific kind of gender-based killing that’s all too common in Mexico.

What is femicide? Gender-based killing rising in Mexico

Femicide is not only the killing of a woman. It happens when a woman is found and killed simply because of her gender. Misogyny, control, and violence are usually the strong motivators behind such acts.

Amnesty International cited that one in four female killings in Mexico in 2020 were probed as femicides. 

The psychology behind femicide details how men who commit such crimes may feel entitled to control women’s lives, or punish them for asserting independence, rejecting advances, or, as in Valeria’s case, simply being seen and successful in public.

As a TikTok and beauty entrepreneur, Valeria had amassed over 149,000 on Instagram and more than 114,000 on TikTok. Just before her death, she posted a mirror selfie to her Instagram Stories alongside photos and modelling shots. 

Notably, Valeria’s murder came just days after a female mayoral candidate in Veracruz was also killed during a live stream in another femicide probe.