Two teenagers stand face to face, surrounded by a crowd. They stare each other down and get ready to compete. But there are no punches here, no improvised rhymes and no traditional dance battle either. To win, you have to show who has more "aura".
The so-called 'aura farming' or 'farmear aura' battles have brought to the streets a language born on social media. Young people, mostly aged between 14 and 20, compete using gestures, poses and recreations of some of the most recognisable memes and viral videos on the internet.
The phenomenon has already led to meet-ups in several Latin American countries, including Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Peru and Bolivia, and it has now reached Spain as well. And although for those unfamiliar with TikTok codes some of the performances can be hard to decipher, for participants, spotting the references is part of the game.
But what exactly does 'farmear aura' mean and why are teenagers competing to get it?
What does 'farmear aura' mean?
