Brazilian Culture 101 for your Working Holiday Adventure

Chapter 5 of 8

Gender relations and the cult of physical beauty

Gender relations in Brazil

Brazil remains a largely patriarchal country which impacts gender relations, even among young people and even in modern urban environments.

Much like many countries around the world, Brazilian society assigns typical gender roles to women—family, motherhood, and housekeeping, and their opportunities can be limited. Brazilian women also face social pressure to meet set beauty standards.

Family structures are still very traditional. Indeed, women are still expected to be proper housewives, even if they work, and men are supposed to provide financially. This is still so prevalent that in the countryside, a woman earning her own money and a man doing the housework are completely taboo.

Brazil also has one of the highest rates of femicide in the world, mainly among couples. In 2021, 1,319 femicides were recorded, a 9.4% increase compared to 2018.

Today, there are more and more social movements to improve the situation, as well as the perception that women have of themselves. The main issue is that men are not necessarily following along.

Patriarchy is a global trend in Brazil, although there seem to be regional differences. According to some Brazilians, the South may be more accepting of men participating in household tasks. On the other hand, the North is more traditional.

The cult of physical beauty and body image

Men are fit and muscular, and women are curvaceous and thin (think big breasts and round butt) and always look pretty—or at least, according to Brazilian media. 

Brazilian guys do care a lot about their physical appearance. They go to the gym to get the sough-after muscular look and they aren’t afraid to show off. It’s common enough for men to wear colourful clothes and show interest in waxing, fancy haircuts or skin care.

Women also aim for perfect beach bodies and they tend to wear makeup. They almost always have long, straight(ened) hair. Manicures and pedicures are popular. Dressing up and looking pretty is expected, even if going to the beach or a hole-in-the-wall bar.

This is particularly true in cities and along the coast—after all, the beach is the perfect place to show off curves, muscles and great figures, especially since thong bikinis are the norm among women!

Brazilians absolutely love selfies and Instagram is extremely popular. You will see all kinds of people posing in front of a beer, a sunset or a landmark, from teens to grandmothers. Popular poses include arms open (think the Corcovado pose), back to the camera (to show off a perfect butt) and pretending to be a mermaid in shallow water. 

Dating, loving and having sex 

Much like in daily life, it’s worth noting that the “carpe diem” approach also applies to dating and sex. Basically, things can get pretty intense, but it doesn’t mean marriage is around the corner when you wake up the next day.

Dating in Brazil

Brazilians tend to value their freedom, so there are officially two types of relationships once the “pegar” part (literally, “to take,” grab someone’s attention in this case) succeeds.

“Ficar” (literally “to stay”) refers to informal and non-exclusive dating, which can last for months or even years and may or may not lead to an exclusive relationship. The couple can still go out in public, it’s okay to introduce a “ficante” to friends.

“Namorar” refers to exclusive dating and a more steady relationship. It can be seen as the second stage after “ficar.”

And in bed…

Brazilians aren’t shy about sex, which may come as a surprise given how big of a role religion plays in many people’s lives. 

On the bright side, few Brazilians would judge a woman for sleeping with a guy on the first night. This is still part of the “carpe diem” philosophy, it’s okay to just enjoy the moment.

However, the lack of sex ed can be a major issue in parts of the population. Many Brazilians don’t practise safe sex, but you should, because the STD rates are surprisingly high for a country with readily available condoms. Brazil is also above the global teen pregnancy average, and abortion is only legal in cases of rape and incest or to save a woman’s life. These very young mothers (15, 16 years old or even younger) often end up being single parents early on in pregnancy.

In the state of Amazonas, a tale is told to explain why single women might be mothers. Apparently, local pink river dolphins morph into handsome men to seduce and impregnate women by night. Of course, the “boto encantado” (shapeshifter dolphin) doesn’t stick around, much like foreign tourists, so the woman becomes a single mother. Handy explanation, right?