It may be too soon to know if everyone’s worst fears about Netflix’s latest reality show Made in Mexico will be proven right, but it’s newly released trailer doesn’t exactly debunk them. Based on this first glimpse, the series looks to be about shallow, affluent, light-skinned socialites out of touch with the reality of most Mexicans’ lives.
The best way to describe it is as a television adaptation of the 90s quebradita classic La Niña Fresa by Banda Zeta. (Bear with us on this analogy.) The song speaks about a bougie girl hanging out with a down to earth guy and demanding to receive special treatment at a lower class establishment. She likes to kick it with regular folks, as long as she can keep her status. That’s the vibe one gets from the nine well-to-do cast members in this glamorously edited clip.
Recently, Netflix scored big with Mexican and Latinx audiences thanks to its melodrama La Casa de las Flores, a story also set among the elite. However, because the Verónica Castro-starrer pokes fun at the pettiness and ridiculousness of those virtually untouchable families, reactions were overwhelmingly positive even if it suffers from similarly problematic representations of wealth and beauty.
Made in Mexico will presumably also expose the flaws in the picture-perfect lives of its subjects, but in a more serious manner. It could potentially enlighten viewers with insightful discoveries about characters often dismissed as vain.
What we can infer from these first images is that the format will include confessionals allowing the audience to get firsthand accounts regarding romances and infighting. Great views of Mexico City, one of the most cosmopolitan metropolises in the world, are also aplenty, as well party scenes and dinners where people throw shade at one another indiscriminately. Think Jersey Shore meets The Real Housewives.
Reactions on Netflix’s YouTube channel and on Remezcla’s previous story about the show have included comments from individuals pointing out the nearly homogenous light skin tone among the participants, while others feel this is an accurate depiction of wealthy Mexicans, since race and socioeconomic status are deeply tied in the country. People with indigenous features or darker skin are assumed to be poorer than those who who are güeros.
For now, all we can do is hope Made in Mexico offers nuanced portrayals that illuminate some of these valid concerns or suspicions from potential audiences.
Made in Mexico debuts on Netflix globally on September 28.