by Daniela Vasconcelos, Gabrielle Sirianni and Letícia Reche
Everyone knows the Brazilian culture through stereotypes. If you ask foreigners about what they see when they hear “Brazil”, probably they will say soccer, Carnival and beaches with beautiful women and happy people. But, is it our reality? Are these stereotypes totally true?
We had, this semester, the great opportunity to meet and talk with academic mobility students from Asia. When we asked them what they knew about Brazil when they still were in their hometown, the answers showed the most frequent and known Brazilian stereotypes that we have already mentioned in the beginning of this article. However, this is not their fault, but our media’s and publicity’s which show just what they think is most attractive in our culture.
Every time the Brazilian culture is showed, the most important aspect which appears is soccer. Famous soccer players are in every Brazilian event, as they are the most important and known Brazilian people. So, they are more famous than our artists. Because of that importance that soccer has in our culture, Brazil is known as “the soccer country”. Maybe, that importance is the responsible for creating the dream of every boy to be a soccer player when he grows up and that is why there is a soccer field in most squares.
Other stereotype that the media creates and wants to sell, to everybody in the world, is the idea that Brazil is the country of parties, of happiness and sensual people, but not everybody cares about parties here. We do not have parties every day and every night! Other aspect is some musicians that are very inside the media, like Latino, who makes music about parties, drinks and sexy women, like his new song, “Despedida de Solteiro”, based on “Gangnam Style”, a hit by Psy, a Korean singer.
Related to this vision of Brazilians, who just give parties, we have another stereotype created. So, what about Brazilian women? Yes, big boobs, big butts, big smile, and small brains. NO! Wrong! Very wrong! This vision starts with the publicity of beers, in which every woman is sexy, but this stereotype is as wrong as the others. Not every woman in Brazil has big boobs, big butts, big smile and small brains. Each woman is different and unique, pretty and smart too. A good example of a powerful and intelligent woman is president Dilma; she is so important that she was remembered by all academic mobility students that answered our interview. Brazilian women in fact are pretty and everywhere they pass the looks are towards them, but we are more than just pretty faces. Our women are brave, they have husbands and kids, work out, take care of home, study and still have time to be pretty and go out.
Some of the stereotypes of easy and hot girls are made by the sexual traders, who come to Brazil from other countries and ensnare the poor girls with promises about a better future abroad, so when these girls arrive there, they become sexual slaves. This is a sad but true story about this stereotype of our women.
If we really want to change these stereotypes, which do not say the truth about our people, the propagation of different Brazilian cultures is really necessary. People from other countries have to know that there are here other sports which we practice successfully, that there are amazing writers, actors and actresses, and not just soccer players. They have to know that we dance other kinds of music, not just samba at Carnival and, the most important, women, like us, are not easy to seduce.
And, as we want this knowledge about us and our country, we have to respect and know the true culture of the others. So, before going out screaming about stereotypes of other countries, it is a good idea to do some research and always remember that we cannot believe in everything that we hear about other countries before seeing their side.
Everyone knows the Brazilian culture through stereotypes. If you ask foreigners about what they see when they hear “Brazil”, probably they will say soccer, Carnival and beaches with beautiful women and happy people. But, is it our reality? Are these stereotypes totally true?
We had, this semester, the great opportunity to meet and talk with academic mobility students from Asia. When we asked them what they knew about Brazil when they still were in their hometown, the answers showed the most frequent and known Brazilian stereotypes that we have already mentioned in the beginning of this article. However, this is not their fault, but our media’s and publicity’s which show just what they think is most attractive in our culture.
Every time the Brazilian culture is showed, the most important aspect which appears is soccer. Famous soccer players are in every Brazilian event, as they are the most important and known Brazilian people. So, they are more famous than our artists. Because of that importance that soccer has in our culture, Brazil is known as “the soccer country”. Maybe, that importance is the responsible for creating the dream of every boy to be a soccer player when he grows up and that is why there is a soccer field in most squares.
Other stereotype that the media creates and wants to sell, to everybody in the world, is the idea that Brazil is the country of parties, of happiness and sensual people, but not everybody cares about parties here. We do not have parties every day and every night! Other aspect is some musicians that are very inside the media, like Latino, who makes music about parties, drinks and sexy women, like his new song, “Despedida de Solteiro”, based on “Gangnam Style”, a hit by Psy, a Korean singer.
Related to this vision of Brazilians, who just give parties, we have another stereotype created. So, what about Brazilian women? Yes, big boobs, big butts, big smile, and small brains. NO! Wrong! Very wrong! This vision starts with the publicity of beers, in which every woman is sexy, but this stereotype is as wrong as the others. Not every woman in Brazil has big boobs, big butts, big smile and small brains. Each woman is different and unique, pretty and smart too. A good example of a powerful and intelligent woman is president Dilma; she is so important that she was remembered by all academic mobility students that answered our interview. Brazilian women in fact are pretty and everywhere they pass the looks are towards them, but we are more than just pretty faces. Our women are brave, they have husbands and kids, work out, take care of home, study and still have time to be pretty and go out.
Some of the stereotypes of easy and hot girls are made by the sexual traders, who come to Brazil from other countries and ensnare the poor girls with promises about a better future abroad, so when these girls arrive there, they become sexual slaves. This is a sad but true story about this stereotype of our women.
If we really want to change these stereotypes, which do not say the truth about our people, the propagation of different Brazilian cultures is really necessary. People from other countries have to know that there are here other sports which we practice successfully, that there are amazing writers, actors and actresses, and not just soccer players. They have to know that we dance other kinds of music, not just samba at Carnival and, the most important, women, like us, are not easy to seduce.
And, as we want this knowledge about us and our country, we have to respect and know the true culture of the others. So, before going out screaming about stereotypes of other countries, it is a good idea to do some research and always remember that we cannot believe in everything that we hear about other countries before seeing their side.