One day Marthe Woertman, 21, opened her app and saw DracoTok everywhere. At first, she was amused but the Dutch creator admits she “didn’t really get the hype around Draco” until she realised she could add her own twist with other characters. “I like the content and the way people created videos with actual parts of the movie and edited themselves in them. I thought that was really cool so I was like let me try that.”
Known for her glimpses into the fashion world and, now, odd character reenactments, the TikTok star reveals why she got involved in Harry Potter content. “There’s zero queer representation in the movies so that queer creators were like we’re gonna make it ourselves then, and that’s what I found fun,” she explains. “I feel like most of the age groups on TikTok have read or seen Harry Potter and when I was younger, I was a super big fan of it too.”
Marthe adds: “I always thought it was weird that there wasn’t that much LGBTQ+ representation, so I definitely think it’s a good thing that people are reclaiming it right now and putting themselves into it. After all, Harry Potter is a comfort series for such a lot of people. I made videos where I dressed up as a character and I made lesbian scenes with other Harry Potter characters. I made one with Luna Lovegood which I thought was funny, because, obviously, you don’t see that sort of thing in any of the movies, so I was like I’m gonna make it myself!”
Although DracoTok and Harry Potter TikTok videos can’t replace representation in the films or books, Marthe is convinced the social media retellings can be just as significant. “As a kid, growing up, I really missed gay representation in films. It always made me feel like I wasn’t accepted, so even in making these short videos and, even though mine are more joking, I really hope that it has a good effect on people. I hope it helps normalise queer representation a little bit,” she says. The 21-year-old even thinks the trend could come back around: “I think Harry Potter might actually stick around for a bit on TikTok. Haven’t people written fanfictions for the longest time – so isn’t this the same thing? It just feels like people are making fanfiction but in Tiktok videos, and people will always want to see that or want to create that.”
