"Feia (Ugly)!!!! Feia!!!! Bonita (Beautiful)!!!! Feia!!!!" These are the words I hear being spoken by Alessandra at an abnormally high tone as I am trying to casually watch TV. It cracks me up every time. It seems that whenever a new woman appears onscreen Alessandra apparently finds it normal to throw out a quick judgement based on the physical appearance of that woman. I love it. It kills me. Mostly, it makes me realize how much beauty is valued in Brazil. Rio de Janeiro has the highest number of plastic surgeons per capita than any other city in the world. Silicone is all around, girls wear contact lenses to change the color of their eyes, and girls do not go anywhere without dressing to the nines. And if you ever want to approach a group of girls all you need to do is to ask to take their picture. Brazilian girls LOVE to have their picture taken. The guys who are hired by the clubs to take pictures of the nightlife are easily the most popular guys around.
Of course, I am in no way saying that Brazilians are shallow because they only judge people on looks. That couldn't be farther from the truth. Brazilians place a tremendous amount of value on such important characteristics as being friendly, caring, helpful, sympathetic, respectful, etc. With that being said, beauty if definitely a prized trait here and, quite frankly, I can't explain how much I appreciate that. The girls spend a LOT of time getting ready, and they seem happy by the time it's all said and done. All of the girls are running around looking fantastic, which, in turn, makes the guys happy. Really, we're all winners here.
Consequently, it should come as no surprise to learn that mirrors are a Brazilian girl's best friend. In fact, there is one night club in particular that has huge mirrors that span the floor to the ceiling all throughout. One of the funniest things that I have seen here (and I witness this regularly) is girls dancing by themselves facing the mirror from three feet away with not a care in the world. And these girls are not messing around. These girls are feeling the vibe......of themselves. Now, I can see a teenage girl doing this at home in the confines of her own room while listening to Britney Spears' hot new single. However, this occurs in the middle of the club, and these girls are not teenagers (don't quote me on that!). You would have to see it to believe it. I know a few of my friends have seen it and they enjoyed it as much as I do. So, when I'm sitting at home and I'm hearing these snap judgements fly out of Alessandra's mouth like a person with Tourette's, I can only nod my head in agreement. At least she's not dancing by herself in front of the mirror.....
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