EVERY country in the world may have its rich kids of Instagram, but in Mexico the increasingly ostentatious displays of wealth by the young elite is taking on a political dimension.
In a country where a significant majority of citizens live in poverty, the self-styled Mirreyes (my kings), with their champagne and sports cars, are increasingly exposing the amount of wealth concentrated into a relatively small number of hands.
Mirreyes, which refers to individuals who enjoy “ostentatious spending, exhibitionism and narcissism” and are “placed above all others”, post pictures of luxuries with a hashtag of the same name.
They are often the sons and daughters of government officials, wealthy businessmen and other members of Mexican high society and although their displays of wealth can be embarrassing, they can also lead to political and legal advantages, Maclean’s reported.
In 2012, the daughter of oil workers’ union boss Carlos Romero Deschamps was brought into the spotlight for posting photos of her luxury lifestyle, including Gucci bags and expensive wine, on Facebook. Her flashy pictures did not sit well in a country where people work an average of 2 226 hours a year and households take in an average of $12 850 (R151 000) a year after taxes.
Their stories are just examples of what the author of a book about Mirreyes called the Mexican Generation Me. – Daily Mail