by Madison Evans
On Oct. 22, Darrin Martinson of Sartell and his daughters, Aneleise of Moorhead and Anika of Sartell, filmed a short video at Darrin’s home and posted it to social media. Since then, the video has gone viral, garnering a phenomenal 11 million views on Instagram and TikTok.
The 10-second video clip is a light-hearted joke about Aneleise getting her long hair from her balding father.
This was the first time Aneleise had a video go viral. She normally posts upbeat content for friends and family. The idea for the video popped up after a typical weeknight dinner at the Martinson home.
“Well, it all started when Aneleise said (to me), stand here and pretend you have hair,” Darrin said.
He reluctantly agreed and then fully complied with good humor to Aneleise’s comic request.
Anika recorded the pair in their backyard, flipping their hair in the wind while smiling at the camera. Aneleise edited the video, adding the popular song “Let the Light In” by Lana Del Rey as background music and including the caption, “Did you get your hair from your Dad?” Then she uploaded the video to her TikTok account, @aneleise.martinson.
After posting the video, they watched the view count rapidly climb, the first indication the video was going viral. To date, it has 3.2 million views and 640,000 “likes” on TikTok. It was reposted to an Instagram account called “Girlscenario,” which is not owned by Aneleise. There, it racked up 8.1 million views and 854,000 “likes.” The video continues to be shared across social-media platforms.
Darrin, who is not a social-media user, was shocked by the view count, saying he would have been surprised if it had received only 500 views, but never did he think it would reach millions of views.
Viewer comments state the video was relatable and made them smile. Some people said they were envious of the father-daughter relationship. According to Aneleise, those comments are correct because she does indeed have a great relationship with her father.
“He is a great dad and he did a good job raising me,” Aneleise said. “I’m super-appreciative of him because he does things like that video. It was just super-fun to be part of something with him.”
Darrin, the band teacher at Sartell Middle School, treasures his time with his children Aneleise, Paul and Anika. Aneleise, the oldest, is pursuing a degree in education with a minor in music at Concordia College. Private First-Class Paul Martinson is serving in the 34th Infantry Red Bull Division, Little Falls. Anika, 16, the youngest, attends Sartell High School.
During an interview with the Newsleaders, Darrin fondly remembered spending time camping, swimming and hanging out with his children when they were younger. Now that they are older and two have left the house, he cherishes their time when they all get together again.
“Even if it’s just having supper,” Darrin said, “my favorite thing about having kids is having them around.”
Darrin Martinson
Aneleise Martinson
