When it comes to authentic representation within the Mexican and Latino community, it can sometimes be difficult to find someone on television that you relate to. Oftentimes, there are shows that are complete stereotypes that only perpetuate those divisions more between cultures, and other times, you can tell that they were trying to find diversity, but it just didn’t land. There are some great movies, but sometimes TV shows tend to leave a little less to be desired.
That has been a constant struggle for me as a Latina in America. While I was born in America, it’s been hard for me to find people like me on television, ones who don’t automatically look like the beautiful Latina actresses that we are so used to seeing in action movies or superhero flicks, like Zoe Saldaña or Salma Hayek.
That doesn’t mean that there’s anything wrong with those actresses – as I love them both – but sometimes, I want something that feels like it’s speaking to me personally, as a Latina. And now, shows like The Most Beautiful Flower are trending in that direction, otherwise known as La flor más bella.
Back in December 2022, the new coming of age series released on Netflix in the Spanish language as well as in several other languages for those who wanted to enjoy it, and never have I felt so seen by a television show.
The series, based on the life of Mexican comedian, Michelle “Mich” Rodríguez, follows Mich, a young girl who knows she’s awesome and is confident – but everyone else just doesn’t seem to notice, as she navigates the world of high school, love, and family. It reminds me a lot of a Mexican version of the popular Netflix show, Never Have I Ever.
The series truly touched something deep inside of me as a Latina and someone who always struggled to find people like myself growing up. I had the chance to speak with Jaime Dávila, one of the executive producers of The Most Beautiful Flower and the co-founder of Campanario Entertainment, the production company behind the show, and what this series means for authentic representation of Mexico and Mexican culture.
Dávila spoke about how his goal as a producer co-founder of his company is not only to entertain, as that should be the main goal overall, but to give people a different take on the country that he loves, and that he believes America often forgets about.
At its core, I think American society or global society often looks down on Mexico or Mexicans and Latin Americans. I think we’re often forgotten about, I think we’re often invisible…and I think for me, my goal is to showcase that there’s so much more to our community and so much more to the stories we tell, and I’ve been really blessed that we’ve been able to do that.
The executive producer continued to speak about how he feels that Mexico itself can produce so many different types of stories, all of which are diverse and have interesting characters, but can still tackle themes that aren’t necessarily brought up in international shows, such as body positivity or race relations.
What I’m excited about is that this is also Mexico. This is also the world today. These themes of diversity and inclusion and all that can be in dramas, they can be in comedies, they can be in reality shows, because at its core, you’re just trying to entertain, but when you have amazing characters that are diverse, when you have amazing stories that are interesting and distinct, you are helping people see the world in a different way, and so I really want to tackle all these amazing themes through my company and through our productions because that’s what I think great shows too.
At the end of the day, all Dávila wants to do is shift the conversation away from what America and the world might already think about Mexico, and show that there is so much beauty to the country, and to the Latin American people as a whole. While he aims to entertain, he hopes that shows such as The Most Beautiful Flower will pave the way for better (and more authentic) Mexican and Latin American representation.
My ultimate goal is that you sit down and you watch our shows and you’re gonna have fun and you’re gonna laugh, and yeah, I also think that maybe a year later, you’ll hear about Mexico and you’ll be like “wait, no, it’s actually a beautiful place,” or “no wait, it’s actually this” and that is the secret sauce, right?
As someone who didn’t have shows like The Most Beautiful Flower growing up, I know I would have greatly appreciated it and the beauty that it offers its viewers by giving a real look into the world of Mexico that you might not have seen before. If you haven’t seen The Most Beautiful Flower, be sure to check it out.
