Monday, August 8, 2011

Just Wrong!

Early morning bleacher in Leme

I've mentioned this annoying and nasty Carioca habit here before. I just don't get it. Who in their right mind would think it's kosher to bleach their body hair on the beach?! Sure the sun makes it happen faster but I think people should look at it another way. There are certain things that are better done in the privacy of your own home at a slower rate than in public.

It is just tacky tacky tacky! I once saw a women let her young daughters use her leftovers. They were so excited to take part in the bleach fest. Teach them early I guess. The best part is that these women even bleach their mustache. It's hard to see in the picture but this statue of beauty is sporting a white bleach stripe below her nose. 

You have to admit though, only Carioca women would have such big balls as but mustache bleach on the beach.

Would you do this? Have you done it? Be honest now!

24 comments:

  1. No way! I'm with you, it's a lot more attractive to do some things in private and let only the results shine for themselves.

    I was really surprised to know this of the Carioca women. I had imagined them to be more secretive of this kind of thing and with a lot more decorum since they are when they are out in other public situations it seemed to me.

    If you are going to do this in public..why stop there? Why not just start doing Brazilian bikini waxes right there on the beach in public as well? Let's all walk around and pick our noses and burp and fart while we are at it..LOL

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  2. You can't wax on the beach because you can't go in the sun for 24 hrs afterward ;)

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  3. Haha I totally thought that was a tranny at first. I wonder, does the intense sun at the beach speed up the process? Otherwise, I can't imagine why you wouldn't just do that at home or in a beauty salon.

    Tracy

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  4. Thank God I am a blonde. No bleaching the mustache and legs needed for me.

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  5. I feel funny clipping my finernails at the beach. This is so 'ewwwwwww' to me!

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  6. Someone needs to tell her about Gilette or Hotwax! Tacky at it's best!

    Ray

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  7. I like bleaching my back hair because it makes me look like a Siberian tiger.

    If only I actually had back hair.

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  8. The whole lower leg hair bleaching thing shocked me when I was dating in Rio ten years ago. I prefer shaved please. Knockin' boots with Chewbacca isn't my thing.

    To actually see women bleaching at the beach was strange at first, but now I am used to it - just like everything else here.

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  9. I think shaved and bleaching are not wise thoughts.
    For me only waxing is the way to go....

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  10. You lost me on this one, I was actually surprised by the Americans reaction... guess that's what makes the world an interesting place

    Can't see any problem here, If you change bleach for sunscreen do you have the same strong reaction? So a person spreading a lotion on her legs (lower leg) or mustache is nasty?!!! By the way, anything a women does to cover a mustache is good for me...

    Bleaching ones legs does not pollute the beach (no more than sunscreen at least) nor it is an indecent exposure so what's wrong with putting a lotion on you legs and sitting by the sun? (nail clipping on NY subway system is nasty)

    Beach for us is a place to go it does matter if you are on shape or not, young or old, rich or poor... It's good for your health, you play sports, drink a beer by the sea, you meet your friends/socialize and, I guess, a place you do a little grooming...

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  11. Actually I take that back... seems my wife have an issue with this also... She says you should only bleach on your bathroom and only "Paraibas" bleach in the beach... called me a "Minero"

    It seems that some Brazilians also find this nasty...

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  12. Good point Rachel, thank goodness for that one or I think it would be next on the list for public spectacle.

    I agree that I really don't get WHY they even bleach in the first place. I know they sell razors in Rio, I've seen them and I know they wax everything else..why not their legs and such? Seems it would be much more desireable than bleaching.

    There is in fact a psychological difference between sunscreen and bleach to the mind. For one, sunscreen mostly you rub in to try and make it disappear, not to paint yourself white with it and sit in the sun. That would even look funny as well. But at least you know this is done by everyone all over the world and is a smart protective measure. Bleaching is just a grooming process that I think should be left in the bathroom at home. I don't want to see even a man shaving his face on the beach...would just be strange.

    What I want to know is this...Does it REALLY matter to Cariocas if a woman is in a bikini and she is not in shape? Is it really just so easily accepted there as it seems or is there an ugly backside to the issue we don't see?

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  13. I don't think bleaching is "just wrong" or annoying and nasty as you say.

    It doesn't bother me at all to be honest.

    It looks like sunscreen in that pic.(I know it isn't because of the body parts she applied to)

    I don't do it because my hair is not black and I prefer waxing.

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  14. Shay,

    I think most cariocas are okay with all body types and different shapes....a small proportion work very hard to be toned and tanned but most people are very relax about it.

    Generally shaving makes our skin very rough in my opinion!!

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  15. why does hair color matter? Hair in the wrong space for a woman is the wrong space. hey i don't make the rules.

    if I bleached on the beach I would probably need to be hospitalized. I need to wear long sleeves on the beach to avoid hospitalization.

    It is bad for the beach. Those are chemicals that are unneeded. We need sunscreen to prevent cancer. no one will get cancer from bleaching at home.

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  16. Leaving a little of topic, Rachel did you know that the U.S. had colonies in Brazil? It was during the civil war between north and south, look here:

    http://www.planetanews.com/news/2004/10178

    Achei bem interessante

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  17. Only "suburbanos" do this. Another social culture clash on the most democratic space in Rio.
    And don't forget you have suburbanos everywhere not only from the north part. It's a life style, or lack, I guess.

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  18. I love the prejudice from brazilians in the comments. "Suburbanos" (they mean, not in a nice way, cariocas from the suburbs) and "paraibas" (a derogatory term from people born in Paraíba state - in fact they are called paraibanos). Reading these things, as a suburban myself and very fond of my mates from the northeast, I feel sometimes happy to be away from home.

    As for bleached body hair, it's quite commom and acceptable in Brazil. I *personally* think it's quite cute - I understand people who do not like it, though. But it would be nice if it could be seen as cultural idiosincrasy and accepted as much as you would accept aboriginal body paint or the extreme body piercing of some indian tribes.

    Believing in equality, I don't quite get the obsession with pretending we women are naturally hairless while the males of our species are allowed to run around as hirsute as they like. No, we are not obliged to "shave that shit", Lindsey. :) It's OUR shit and we deal with it as we please. I specially don't like to take orders from men in this regard, as long as they're not willing to shave themselves, too (was chewbacca male or female, by the way? lol).

    I wish I had never shaven my legs. My hair would still be fine and barely visible, I wouldn't suffer with rashes caused by razor allergies, my skin wouldn't get darker in places (it happens a lot with olive/dark skinned people; blame melanin). As for waxing, it's painful and costs money. We shouldn't have to pay extra just for being women, especially when we usually make less money than men.

    I do not condone bleaching on the beach as it gets chemicals into the water/sand and also can cause rashes (the sun helps up to a point, I have seen people getting blisters from leaving the bleach too long under the sunshine). As for what others may think... well, what can I say? Some people consider fat people in bikinis to be disgusting as well. Where does it stop? If I don't like something (it happens, after all - no one is forced to find the same things appealing), I just look away. Saves me the bother. :)

    p.s.: Sorry Rachel, not intending to flame the topic, but thought I'd give a different point of view. Cheers!

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  19. No need to apologize! I think you make numerous and excellent points!

    Personally, I don't care what one does with their body hair but to spread that stuff on the beach and then rise it in the showers where my child plays, freaking gross. And there are some things that are just better done in the privacy of your own home.

    It's not sunscreen or a cultural art of some kind, it is a beauty treatment. I also find it nasty when people pluck eye brows and pop zits in public. Dude, that's why we have bathrooms.

    As for the comments such as "Suburbanos", I noticed that too. Then again, you hear a lot of that kind of stuff here...

    And lastly, waxing vs shaving vs bleaching. I can't relate to the Brazilian battle of hair as I am fair skinned with, when existent, weak ass body hair. If I wax my legs they are good for 6 to 8 weeks.

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  20. "If I wax my legs they are good for 6 to 8 weeks." = ENDLESS ENVY. Just think about the economy. :)

    Oh,and by the way, when I said "cultural thing" I meant bleached body hair. Not the act of doing it on the beach (which is not higienic or safe for the skin)

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  21. I agree with the comment about ONLY "suburbanos" e "paraibas" do that kind of thing!

    As a carioca I thought it was to generalized that this was a carioca habit and we don't care about this disgusting thing that some people that doesn't have education and maners to distinguish right or wrong, polite or rude and doing in public or private...

    All people that I know don't do that(or never did in front of me haha) and if they try to do next to me I'm going to fake that I don't know them hahaha!

    The point is... Most cariocas think is not acceptable to do this at the beach but we are free to do what we want if it doesn't hurt no one or it's against the law but like everywhere else in the world we do have people not polite and uneducated.

    what could we do?!sorry!

    sorry for the English mistakes! :)))

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  22. I just loved that you commented :)

    And it's always good to get feedback from Cariocas!

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