“Mis XV” depicts the coming of age of Valentina and Natalia. They are best friends who were born on the same day at the exact same time. As the telenovela begins, Valentina is daydreaming about her quinceañera party because it is all she has ever wanted since she was a little girl. Turning fifteen means having an enormous party, being able to date, and ultimately having more freedom. As I have come to figure out, Valentina and Natalia are a dynamic duo; they are witty and are definitely not afraid to go out of their way to get what they want. Sometimes, this means pulling innocent pranks or getting into mischief. Most of the plot is centered around Valentina and Natalia’s friends/ classmates and their families. Like all telenovelas, “Mis XV” has several love conflicts. Valentina is in love with her fellow friend, Niko; however, it seems like all odds are against them. Her parents do not approve of him, she is not old enough to date boys, and to top it all off, there are several love triangles forming which prevent them from being together. Natalia, on the other hand, does not seem to care about boys or having a quinceañera. This all changed when Valentina’s brother comes back from traveling the world, and the two reunite. As of now, I am very hooked and can’t wait to see how the plot unfolds.
This telenovela is aimed at a younger audience, mainly teens. Because of this, I have been able to relate to characters and situations throughout the episodes that I have watched. However, I feel like there are also instances where the telenovela does not accurately represent Mexican teenagers. I spent the first four years of my life in Mexico, so I attended a few months of school there and can understand how school systems work. In the telenovela, the students attend the fictional Greenland School. In Mexico, it is very common for wealthier people to send their kids to very good private schools, which usually offer many extracurricular activities and foreign languages. Up to this point, I agree with the telenovela. In “Mis XV”, all of the students who attend the school wear uniforms; however, I do not think that any school, in whatever country you might be, would allow girls to wear very high heels as part of the uniform. The characters in the show are all supposed to be around thirteen or fourteen years old, so I feel like this was an attempt to glamorize the school even more. As a whole, the telenovela does not represent all of Mexico because a good majority of the characters are wealthy or upper middle class, which influences much of the plot.
One thing I found interesting about “Mis XV” how the protagonist is portrayed. Valentina is insanely smart, popular, and gorgeous. What stands out about her is how her character is so empowering. She is so confident at such a young age, and I feel like that this was done to give the younger views an example of a role model. Valentina is not one to be concerned with appearances but rather what is inside is what matters. Natalia also possesses many of Valentina’s characteristics; however, she is a little bit less sure of herself, so I think she and Valentina make great friends because they are always there for each other.
Even though this telenovela is very cheesy, I have very much enjoyed watching it, and I can’t wait to see what kind of trouble Valentina and Natalia get into!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment