I can’t work out how interesting this story really is, but there is no doubt it says a lot about the path to fame in Spain. Be attractive, end up in an extraordinary situation, pose topless in Interviu, and there is no limit as to where you might end up.
Ana María Ríos, 26, an unknown hairdresser from Pontevedra, Galicia, went on her honeymoon to Mexico in October last year, but was stopped as she attempted to fly home. Mexican customs officials claimed to have found ‘bullets’ and ‘detonators’ in her luggage, and she was looking at a lengthy spell in a Mexican jail. After 12 days of legal wrangling the case fell apart and she was released from her nightmare and allowed to return to Galicia.
I think everyone knew what was coming next. Quasi-fame Spain style. First she posed topless for trash gossip mag Interviu, next she published her (ghost-written) book recounting the experience, and now she is doing the TV circuit. Youtube clips abound (some not safe for work). How long will it last? That may depend on how astute she and her agent are. Is this a Spanish phenomenon or does fame work like this everywhere these days? And finally, how crucial to her present and continued success were the topless shots?
Notes from Spain by Ben Curtis 