How Black Scottish TikTok made Americans go wild

Scotland’s latest viral sensation saw stunned Americans become infatuated with something they had never encountered before.

Torgi Squire went viral on TikTok after complaining about a late summer spell of sunshine as schools reopened across Scotland.

But the millions of viewers weren’t attracted by his rant about the unpredictable Scottish weather.

They were Americans discovering black Scots for the first time.

This prompted a flurry of “thirst-trap” comments, stitches, and attention from across the pond on Torgi’s TikTok @StarboySobersFitness.

The Americans were shocked to hear the accents of Torgi and other black Scottish creators, leading to the hashtag #BlackScottishTikTok trending.

“Half the comments just sweetly responding about school schedules and weather, politely ignoring the other half who just fell in love is absolutely frying me,” one user commented.

“There are Black Scottish men?!? Forgive me but I really had no idea,” another wrote.

Others compared the experience to a flavour combination that doesn’t sound promising but turns out “awesome”.

Capitalising on his new American audience, Torgi had had the opportunity to collaborate with personalities such as comedian Roy Wood Jr.

Torgi Squire in Made in Scotland from Girders campaign IRN-BRU

Most recently, he was featured in the new Irn-Bru “Made in Scotland from Girders” campaign.

When asked about the opportunity to work with such a well-known brand, he told STV News: “When I started this TikTok journey, there were brands I thought, you know what the dream would be to work with this, a lot of Scottish brands, global brands, whatever it might be.

“And I had the opportunity this week to live out like a dream and do a shoot for the brand that I never thought was possible and it was amazing.”

He also added that, although recently amplified, being a black Scot is not a trend and is just part of everyday life for so many across the country.

“I don’t like calling it a trend,” he said.

“I know it started out as a hashtag and a trend that I put out there.

“But I don’t like calling it a trend because we’re here, we’ve been here, and we will remain here.”