In a country where being a politician is seen as equivalent to ‘winning the lottery’, observers are hitting back at the behavior of the children of elites

When pictures emerged of Sasha Obama working a till at a seafood restaurant, they made news around the world. But the photographs had particular impact in neighbouring Mexico, where many commentators contrasted Obama’s choice of a relatively mundane summer job with the conspicuous consumption and entitled behaviour common among children of the country’s elite.

Twitter lit up with comments comparing Obama’s behaviour with the children of Mexican politicians such as the daughters of President Enrique Peña Nieto, who often appear on the cover of society magazines.

“From one pair of daughters to another: Sasha Obama works vacation days as a cashier; Paulina and Nicole Peña – daughters of President Enrique Peña Nieto – the cover of ¡Hola!” tweeted columnist Julio Astillero.

Social observers say the reaction stems from frustration over nepotism, lack of social mobility and a jobs market that too often places applicants’ connections above competence.

Politics, meanwhile, is widely seen as a road to riches for entire families: official pay packages are generous, and media reports routinely highlight the accumulation of seemingly inexplicable fortunes.

“Being a politician in Mexico is the equivalent of winning the lottery in the public imagination,” says Ilán Semo, political historian at the Iberoamerican University.



Commentators say that whereas elites in other countries attempt to legitimize themselves through employment or education, in Mexico working sends the wrong signals in high society, where networking is considered more important than accomplishment.



Facebook Twitter Pinterest President Peña with his family. Photograph: Courtesy of the Presidents Office

“In their world, work is for people who don’t have connections,” said Arturo Franco, fellow with the Atlantic Council and author of the book Merit: Building a Country that is Ours.



“In Mexico we are used to seeing the majority of politicians’ children wanting to live off of their parents’ fame and money,” said Armando Regil, founder of a thinktank focused on youth issues. “In a country that rewards trickiness or shady activities instead of merit and work, it surprises people that the daughter of a president would work.”

The fascination over Sasha Obama’s summer job comes as children of Mexican elites – sardonically referred to as “lords and ladies” – are increasingly being called out on social media for their petulant behaviour.

One recent viral video captured a young man who was driving an Audi in a lane dedicated for bicycles and buses, and nudges a cyclist for refusing to let him pass. In the footage, the driver – who quickly became known online as #LordAudi – tells a police officer to “call my dad”, before fighting his way back into the driving seat, running over the bike, and fleeing the scene.

#LordAudi is just latest example of what Mexicans call a mirrey – “my king”, an exaggerated courtly greeting now applied to the children of elites whose excesses are exhibited without shame.

In one notorious 2013 case, the head of the country’s consumer protection agency was forced to resign after his daughter sent government inspectors to close a restaurant after she was refused a table when she turned up without a reservation.

Peña Nieto’s own daughters have also drawn criticism for their expensive outfits and frequent appearances in society magazines. In 2012, his eldest daughter Paulina was widely condemned for retweeting a comment from her boyfriend’s account, in which she described her father’s critics as “bunch of pendejos who form part of the prole[tariat] and only criticize those who they envy”.

Social observers say discontent over the rise of the mirreyes and the willingness to publicly shame offenders reflects a sense that those getting ahead in Mexico did so improperly or through some sort of shady political connection – and subsequently feel the need to show their impunity.



“There is a lot of resentment and a lot of it with good reason,” says Mauricio Sada, a Monterrey businessman, who hires young people for his chain of restaurants, but has received few applications from those in the upper crust. “It’s one thing to see other people with money. It’s not other to have them rub your nose in it.”