Gala Montes vs. Machismo: A Spotlight of ‘La Casa de los Famosos’
Gala Montes
Gala Montes is a Mexican actress and singer, recognized for her various roles in Mexican television series (telenovelas). She is currently participating in La Casa de los Famosos México, a reality TV show similar to Big Brother. The show is one of the top shows currently seen in México. More than 12.2 billion views on social networks and millions of telephone votes prove its record. The show features well-known Mexican celebrities who live together in a house completely cut off from the outside world while being filmed 24/7. The contestants have weekly challenges, form alliances, and vote on which participants to nominate for elimination at the end of each week. The public ultimately decided who to save by voting. The contestant with the fewest votes has to leave the house. The goal of the show is to be the last celebrity in the house to win 4 million pesos (around two hundred thousand dollars).
During her time in the show, the audience has been exposed to her and Adrián Marcelo’s heated arguments. Adrián Marcelo is a Mexican TV host, comedian, and social media personality, known for his work in entertainment and “dark” humor. Additionally, he has built a strong fan base on social media with over millions of followers across several platforms.
As the week progresses, tension continues to arise, making arguments inevitable. A major fight erupted among the contestants triggered by a playful prank that was taken out of context. The contestants are separated into two different bedrooms—Team Mar and Team Tierra. Team Mar felt betrayed by one of their members, Sian Chiong, so they decided to take his mattress and bed sheets in the living room as a form of punishment. Ricardo Peralta, a member of Team Tierra, came to Chiong's defense, accusing the act of being xenophobic since Chiong is Cuban.
This incident quickly escalated, exposing deeper issues within the house. One of the issues was the ongoing bullying with Briggitte Bozzo. Gala claimed that Team Tierra had been mistreating Bozzo and that the prank was taken out of context. As tensions flared, multiple contestants began arguing, leading to a heated exchange between Montes and Adrián Marcelo. Marcelo launched a personal attack on Montes, bringing up sensitive topics like her strained relationship with her mother, her mental health struggles, and accusing her of not saving her friend in a previous challenge, claiming she prioritized saving a man because she was "horny."
Montes didn’t stay silent. She claimed she had every right to be there despite her struggles with mental health. She also fought back with his personal issues such as accusing Marcelo of being a pothead and insinuating that his wife was probably being unfaithful.
The next day, they sat down, talked it out, and apologized to each other, though tensions lingered. One example was in the sixth round of eliminations, when most of the women in the house were at risk of being voted out, Marcelo made a controversial remark: "una mujer menos para maltratar" ("one less woman to abuse"), sparking further unease among the contestants.
Fans became disturbed by the ongoing treatment the women kept experiencing in the house. The public demanded that production intervene. Mexico, a country deeply rooted machista culture, faces significant challenges when it comes to gender equality and women's safety. A stark statistic often highlighted to raise awareness is that, on average, 18 women go missing in Mexico each day, underscoring the urgent need for respect and protection of women.
The production didn’t intervene. However, Odalys Ramírez, one of the hosts of the show, confronted Marcelo on why he made such a comment. Marcelo said it was a comment made out of irony. Moments after another argument broke out between Marcelo and Montes. Marcelo once again attacked Montes with personal struggles such as not growing up with a father figure and being exploited as a child actress. Once again Montes didn’t stay silent and defended herself calling him out on his misogynistic actions. Montes ended up in tears claiming no one defended her and throwing up due to her anxiety. The next day Marcelo left the house.
On social media, many have questioned if Montes truly represents the feminist movement. Some women feel that she doesn’t embody their ideals, particularly because of her personal attacks and the way she expresses herself during conflicts and in other instances during the program. However, I believe that no single woman can fully represent such a vast and diverse movement. We often try to confine women to a narrow definition of the "perfect" representative, which is unrealistic.
Could Montes handle the situation better? Of course! But in the heat of the moment, I don’t think Montes was focusing on how to represent herself as a feminist. In a tense situation, most of us are simply reacting to our emotions, not considering our public image. If anything, we can learn from these arguments how to handle similar situations more effectively if they arise in our own lives.
I can relate to Montes. She possesses a fierce, "explosive" energy when she argues, refusing to let negative viewpoints from men diminish her voice. I’ve responded in similar ways in the past. While I used to insult others like Montes does, I've since learned that there are healthier ways to communicate. Insulting others never felt good, and ultimately, we all make mistakes. Now, I follow a simple approach: I express what the other person did, how it made me feel, and how we can move forward together. This method helps me stay grounded, especially when emotions run high.
Despite improving my communication. I still sometimes feel I shouldn't raise my voice as loudly as men do, or that I’m being too harsh for expressing myself. Like Montes, I grow tired of having to constantly defend myself, wondering if it would be easier to stay silent.
Ultimately, seeing Montes in those uncomfortable situations serves as a reminder for me to continue speaking up for myself and other women. As I watched the show and heard Marcelo's offensive comments, I was shocked at his audacity. I’ve rarely seen a woman on reality TV defend herself the way Montes does. I admire how she refuses to stay silent. I don't think programs in México would have allowed Montes to defend herself so boldly if the show had aired just a few years earlier. The cultural shift toward women standing up for themselves in such public ways is still relatively recent, and it’s powerful to witness how much progress has been made. Whether or not one believes Montes represents the feminist movement, what truly matters is our ability to support her and each other as women.
