Fidel Rueda during a concert in Mexico City. (Leonel Martinez/Jam Media/LatinContent via Getty Images)
Fidel Rueda is one of the most famous singers in the world Regional Mexican genre. For 15 years his songs have been playing very heavily, first on commercial radio and later on social networks. However, the Empty Bottles performer is in the eye of the hurricane due to controversial images showing his reaction to a fan.
The video in which Rueda, in one of his presentations, refuses a girl who lives with him, while the song “That’s Loving You” was playing to the end, could be seen on social networks. In the clip, the fan can be seen hugging Rueda for a few seconds and also kissing her on the left cheek. Then, after these gestures, the girl tries to kiss him on the mouth. Fidel, noticing it, quickly shakes his head and also vigorously shakes his hand to separate his pendant.
The fact in general and Rueda’s position in particular have provoked an intense debate on social networks. Most people defended Fidel Rueda’s position, although it was also stressed that the course of action might not be the most appropriate: “Both the one and the other were wrong, I’ve taken pictures with some celebrities and I would never try to kiss them on the mouth, that’s called respect,” one tweeter commented.
Similarly, some people questioned the girl’s initial attitude. “First the woman, how she embraced it! One thing is that they are artists and quite another that the public has the right to touch them. What if it was a woman and the man did that?” opined another user.
It’s certainly common for regional Mexican singers to be faced with such moments. At concerts, or “dances” as they are colloquially called, it has even become routine for fans to throw underwear onto the stage where the singer is on duty. There have also been other instances where singers abused their fans trust and ended up falling into harassment as it happened Eduardo Mora and Jorge MedinaSinger of Los Invasores de Nuevo León or La Arrolladora Banda el Limón.
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Perhaps one could say in between that Rueda’s most sensible reaction would have been to ward off the kiss with a word between them, without that harsh tone that was seen in the video. He probably would have avoided any kind of controversy that way, but on the other hand it’s difficult to know how long the fan has been with him, because this factor could also influence the climate of uneasiness that is reflected during the video clip. Because it’s also true that Rueda, even though he knew everyone was watching, had no qualms about abruptly disconnecting the fan.
Given this attitude, the singer might have thought that those present would understand his rejection. As the camera focuses on him, Fidel looks angry, but he immediately changes his face to address the audience attending his concert. The folklore of allowing female fans to be close to the singers is an integral part of the regional Mexican genre. However, it also lacked some boundaries to avoid cases of harassment that could affect both the singers and their fans.
In this sense, the Fidel Rueda case could be an important precedent to be considered on future occasions. Both the fans and the singers have the right to live and have fun together, but as long as the limits are not crossed and lead to awkward situations.