Business Women of Brazil

Photo by: GNT

I read this fluff piece on Business women in Brazil. It basically credits Dilma's example and the economy for the go getting ladies down here. Fair enough as it does help. Of course I see it from a different angle.

Brazilian business women have been kicking ass long before the coming of Dilma or the world's acknowledgement of Brazil's economy. When Chatterbox was born 5 yrs ago, EVERY Brazilian woman I knew asked when I was going to get back into the workplace. When I explained my stay at home plans I received less than stellar reviews. Stay at home? What? What about your career?

Let me break down business women in Brazil, they kick ass! I have never seen a more motivated group of women in my life. They are the ones who make shit happen in this "machismo" country. The old saying that behind every good man is a woman translates in Brazil to: Behind every good man is a woman telling him what he should really be doing. The ladies here may be referred to as their husband's woman, but seriously, it doesn't take anything away from them.

I think a big part of that is because the business women of Brazil are not afraid to be just that, women. There is even this AWESOME article about it. Thank goodness the former fluff piece motivated a little internet research...

While I don't agree with everything but these points are golden:

• Appearance counts. Your clothing will reflect upon you and your company.
• Brazilian women dress "sexy" in all situations, whether business, formal or casual. Foreign women who want to blend in should avoid wearing overly formal, conservative attire.
• Shoes should be stylish, polished and well-kept. Nails should be manicured.
• In business situations, men should wear conservative dark suits, shirts and ties. Three piece suits indicate executives; two piece suits indicate office workers. Women should wear feminine dresses, suits and pantsuits and avoid "dressing like a man."

The business women here get a mani pedis at least every 2 weeks, steal that promotion you were going for, and all while scheduling their bikini wax for lunch time the next day.

I have said this before and I will say it again, Brazilians understand the power behind being a woman. The Brazilian business woman doesn't just go with that. No, it's much bigger. She owns it. She doesn't have to "accept" who she is, she is who she is. The Brazilian business woman has gone after her education, work experience, and career. In fact, all of that has only made her feel more womanly.

As a Stay at Home Mom, I see a very equal responsibility over the children when it comes to two working parents. Quite honestly, there are many breadwinning Mothers of children in my boys' schools. The Fathers come to pick the kids up at 530pm while the Mothers work late.

The thing that most amazes me is that the Brazilian business woman is not trying to fit into the world of men. They don't need to. The business world of Brazil is open to both sexes equally. While they may not have pee wee soccer for girls, they still expect them to ace their math classes.

My favorite part about the working women of this country is their pride. They do not come in wearing horrible orthopedic shoes and a dark masculine suit. These women come in and show the true intelligence behind feminine sex, and all while looking like one.

What has been your impression? 

VLOG: The Land of the People Person

Secret to Marriage: Outsourcing

The New York Times just busted out another classic article. It's all about "equally shared parenting." When you think it's impossible to over-think children and families, someone offers another view.

So the deal there is that each parent is equally involved in everything. They have equal work hours, equal quality time with kids, equal responsibility of the home, and equal 15 minutes bouts of boring sex.

Obviously I read this and felt the need to put a Brazilian spin on it. I'm getting quite predictable on this blog, or as I like to call it "equally shared topic use."

Anyway, Brazilians have an easy answer to the equality at home issue, they outsource. Hell, I think most marriages here come with a full-time maid to clean and cook. Depending on the financial situation of the parents, come little Jr. there could be the addition of a nanny, the expansion of the job description of the maid, or the abuse of extended family members.

Yes, the family helps. You have the Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Siblings, and goodness knows however many cousins the parents feel comfortable having help. The Brazilians have the tribe style of raising kids down.

So in the middle class two working parent situation, Brazilians have that stuff down. Not only do neither of them actually have to do housework, sometimes they hardly need to raise their children unless they really want to. I think that explains why I'm the Mom getting annoyed with my kid's tantrum and the Brazilian parent is calmly lecturing them on how it makes Mommy feel... all while the kid is screaming.

In the past I have always accounted the parents I encounter's patience with just being more patient. I would swear to myself that my pregnant Mother really should have gotten her butt on a plane and birthed me in a more acceptable country. Turns out, upon reflection, that maybe this patience comes from having help. They are not burnt out by their kids or household duties. They do not have to argue with their spouse over who never does the dishes because Valeria or Lillian is coming in to handle them in the morning.

In all seriousness though, they need the help! If you have two working parents with semi-decent careers the hours are a bitch! Mr. Rant can go from getting home at 630pm one week to 830pm the next. It doesn't matter how early he starts his day. It's that damn 6pm meeting that every Brazilian seems to love to schedule that only actually starts at 630 or 7pm. That meeting will bite you in the ass weekly!

So I guess when you are in Brazil you do what the Brazilians do, unless you are me that is. I'm a glutton for punishment and can't manage a maid more than twice a week. Call me crazy but sharing my box of an apartment with another woman, who talks more than me by the way, is enough to send me to the Brazilian crazy house. Trust me, not the crazy house you want to end up in!

How do you or will you handle your household?

People People

They will talk to just about anyone...

Brazilians are people people. You talk to everyone, kiss far more cheeks than us North Americans are comfortable with, and wave to strangers. It's just the culture.

The other day I went out with the kids, who were in full costume of course. Being a Saturday in which Flamengo was playing, the bar next to our place was already full of Flamengistas drinking. Upon seeing two mini Captain Americans we were surrounded by the beer-ed up soccer fans.

The American in me would have screamed "STRANGERS" and ran. Ok, maybe not so dramatic but you get the point.

The Brazilian I have been molded into took it all in stride. My boys went around shaking hands and talked about their cool costumes. The men showered them with compliments of how cool they look and how good it is that Rio has superheros walking around keeping everyone safe. The smiles were contagious.

And that is just how it is here. Brazilians are ridiculously social and open people. Jim at Qualidade da Vida was talking about just that the other day. I have to say, I'm glad my kids are growing up that way.

You see, while not all things are created equal in this country (the understatement of the year), Cariocas have a way of treating just about all people like people. Seriously. I can't tell you how many times I've seen the Grandma caregivers stop and introduce their Grandkids to the neighorhood bum. It goes something like "This is so-and-so. He lives on our street. Make sure you say hello to him when you pass." Bum or not, he's a person too.

At the same time my kids are being taught, by me, to be careful with other people, to not wonder too far from Mom when out, and to general keep their eyes open. Rio de Janeiro is not an innocent place and there are bad people in the world. Kids do need to know that. Of course, they don't need to be afraid of people, life, or everyone new.

It's all about balance. Personally, I like my balance with a little more chit chats and smiles. 

Brazilian men: Hot or Just Charming?

I ran across an old friend on Facebook the other day. This old friend comes out in my stories as being absolutely gorgeous. Seriously, I still remember thinking, every time I saw him, that he was gorgeous. Of course, the Facebook photos tell a different story.

Don't get me wrong, he's a good looking guy. The thing is, Facebook only provides the image. No charm is involved. That got me thinking, how much of Brazilian hotness is due to personality?

Honestly, Brazilian men are freaking charming! They are smoother than butter. They are smoother than a male swimmer's legs! Hell, there's a Carioca rule that if you are into the girl you try to kiss her within the first 5 minutes. You miss that window and it's all downhill from there.

Some foreigner girlfriends and I were discussing just this last week. We are all from different countries and have had experience with men from different countries as well as Brazilians. The consensus was that Brazilian men have a smoothness that we foreigners have not seen anywhere else. One minute they come to say hello, the next minute you are kissing, and the next minute you are buck naked and having sex on their dining room floor. Alright, maybe their Mother's dining room floor as a shockingly large amount of Brazilian men live at home for far too long. Whole different blog post.

It made me stop for a minute and just look at Mr. Rant. Thank goodness we have been married for almost 8 yrs now and he wastes hardly any of that charm on me at this point. (Isn't it nice how I turned that into a positive?)  Anyway, I can say that I do find him very attractive. He's hot! Phew!

None-the-less I really couldn't keep my hands off him when we met... and for like 3 years afterward. After a night with him you'd think he had created the bra hook with the ease in which he got that bad boy off!

Let's also not forget how well he handled my awkward ways. When we met he was sexy and smooth and I would say something lame. He continued to be sexy and smooth and then I would be awkward and sarcastic. There was no stopping the smooth people... and obviously it worked.

Fast forward and I married the guy. Personally, I'd like to act as if that compliments me because I caught this charming man. But let us be honest, I am living in Brazil and have learned Portuguese. The force in him is strong my friend.

If I had to compare the Brazilian charm to anything I would say it is like a top shelf tequila. It slides down so smooth you almost think you aren't drinking alcohol at all. Of course 2 or 3 sips in you are practically bar girl putty in their hands. Be warned ladies!

FYI, you can grow a tolerance to it just like tequila, and that is a good thing!

So what is more important to you, charm or beauty? Do you find Brazilians particularly charming or is it just me? 

He Told me Off!

You have to love that Brazilians really do feel like they live in a community with the people around them. Of course this also means that elders feel complete liberty to scold a person like a wayward child.

I was minding my own business while walking my kids to the park to meet with friends. This park is a 15 to 20 minute walk from my house, it was already 35 degrees (95 F), and my boys are freaking heavy in their sit and stand stroller. You can imagine how patient I was feeling.

The Menace dropped his pacie, of course, at the entrance of the park and it fell near an older man. He watched me as I picked it up and returned to the stroller.

What he didn't see was that I threw the dirty pacie into the cup holder while informing The Menace that it was dirty and reaching over to wipe the rivers of snot from his nose.

I know what you are thinking, what a glamorous life! Eat your heart out baby.

Anyway, the man started screaming at me! I turned to look at him with a confused 'what the hell is your problem' look on my face.

He preceded to tell me off. How dare I give that dirty pacie to my child. What the hell was my problem! What kind of Mother am I! Seriously, he said all those things to my face.

That is when I pulled the pacie out of the cup hold and asked "This pacie?" I also busted out a "Cara de pao!" And suggested that he first pay attention before he decides to yell at someone.

He apologized and I we went in. I will say this though, the man is lucky my 4 yr old was there. The Chatterbox has turned into the greatest sponge that ever lived and single-handedly absorbs all information that passes by his ears. It was guaranteed that if I used the words I wanted to that the little one would automatically add them to his ever expanding vocabulary.

Lucky for the old man, huh?

Brazilians & Love for Children

Let's be honest, kids are freaking annoying. All kids! This goes double if you haven't actually birthed/raised any. Kids have an amazing way of slowly increasing your tolerance for the intolerable. It's practically an art form.

That is why I'm always so impressed by my childless Brazilian friends. They actually adore other people's children! Really! Even kids of people they don't know. That last one is a huge kicker for me. Maybe it's just my friends but in my country the real love for a child comes with a relationship of some sort with a parent.

In Brazil, apparently, you just have to be a miniature. They love you no matter who you belong to, maybe even in spite of it.

So take our Brazilian friends, they practically smother my children with adoration and love. The patience, interest, and adorable love of them is enough to stop my heart in amazement. Any one of my non-parent Brazilian friends come over to play with my children. They'll talk to me once the kiddos are in bed. I mean, they pause in the middle of the sentence to answer a question like a seasoned Mom of 3.

Thus it comes as no surprise that I fall in love with Brazil all over again every single time with meet up with these guys. This weekend was no exception. We had an amazing lunch at my place on Saturday, where I made shrimp dishes for the first time thank you very much! They were awesome, in case you were wondering. Sunday was spent playing a park in Lagoa and then a great long lunch (actually more like snacking, picking, and beer drinking for a couple of hours) at Bar Lagoa.

My childless friends didn't shoot even one dirty look my way the entire time at the restaurant, even when I let my kids sit under the table. (I don't care if it is dirty just as long as they are quiet). Actually, my friends joked with them while under the table! People, that's just how Brazilians roll. You have got to love that!

Have you ever noticed a difference in acceptance of children from one country to the next?

Is Facebook Ruining Relationships?

While reading the Brazilian Magazine Criativa, I stumbled upon an article called "Facebook and Sex: A new Etiquette for Romantic Relationships."

One thing came to mind: Awesome! Not only has Facebook made it uncomfortably convenient for all of us to have easy access to those people we may want to forget, it's also allowing love to screw with our heads much more efficiently.

You have all  seen at least one facebook couple fight. No easier way to get gossip flowing than by changing your relationship status. Married to it's complicated or in a relationship to engaged. The best being the complete removal of relationship status all together.

Go ahead, make your high school sweetheart's sister wonder if you are still with your husband. Make a comment on a picture and see if your old neighbor's cousin's wife questions the sexual history between the two. Let's rock the boat a bit.

And apparently Facebook brings out affairs! The Criativa article and the AAML site state these statistics:

 "An overwhelming 81% of the nation’s top divorce attorneys say they have seen an increase in the number of cases using social networking evidence during the past five years, according to a recent survey of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML).   Facebook holds the distinction of being the unrivaled leader for online divorce evidence with 66% citing it as the primary source."

Way to raise the bar Facebook! Apparently people cheating on their spouses are even easier to catch with this wonderful social network.  In Brazil, I could totally see people accessing their facebook while on a tryst and accidntly checking in: So and So was at Love Time Motel April 24th at 3pm. Oops. 

It's just a matter of time people. If you would kindly refer back to my post on how 70% of Brazilian men cheat, the odds are not with us! Keep track of the relationship statuses of your friends people.

Sadly though, I'm a train wreck kind of girl. I find so much humor in these online back and forths. The status changes, arguing on posts, and/or comments made on a 3rd party's picture of someone else's lover. It's like listening to the neighbor's lovers spat but at your own convenience and with pictures.

I have to say, as the rest of the world starts sharing as much as I do on Facebook, skeletons are leaving closets and creating their own profiles. While high in entertainment factor, this does not always work for the greater good. 

What do you think, are we giving Facebook too much credit or is it taking away the essential mystery in relationships?

Rachel vs The Wall

Brick paint job by Grandma. Sad to see it go!

I'm doing something so very NOT expat living in Rio de Janeiro style. Actually, it's not even middle class Carioca style. Hell, I don't think anyone does this here unless it's their job.

I'm going to sand and paint my wall all by myself. Not a big deal right? Well, Brazilians aren't really do it yourself type of people when it comes to home improvement. That is, unless they are in the field.

So why am I doing it? There's a number of reasons. For starters, paying some dudes to hang out and dirty my place is not fun. They lag, insist on techniques that don't necessarily need to be done, and generally fill the apartment with dust.

Me, I'm a minimalist when it comes to hard labor. Do I need to plaster? I don't necessarily think so. Do I need to sand the entire wall? I think I can get away with only hitting up the bad parts.

Please don't come knocking down my door to hire me!

I'm also hesitant to hire out because this entire painting issue is because of a bad job. The men who worked on our kitchen covered the wall in tiles before the cement had dried out. The water has to go somewhere so it came out in the hallway.  My wall caught a bad case of hasty worker eczema.

2 years later and I'm finally doing something about it. I decided this boiling hot day is perfect because I'm just a glutton for punishment. That and my maid is here so she can help me clean up afterward.

Wish me luck folks. Let's hope a little amateur elbow grease improves the condition as opposed to making it worse!

I think it's making me Constipated...

I am having an issue verbalizing my Sass today. It's quite unsettling and I think it's making me constipated.

As a means to express myself, I have turned to a still image. When one can not mock or joke, rainbow toe nails and florescent flip flops will always do the trick.

Seriously, I walk around like this.  Brazilians must think I'm "special" or a hipster.

Can you spot the toe I've broken twice? 

Brazilians a part of Obama's stimulus package?

Here's a crazy idea, let the Brazilians come and fix the US economy.  Here's how the plan goes.

The US government creates a lottery for middle class Brazilians. The prize is a free round trip ticket to a "surprise" city.  It has to be middle class Brazilians because upper class has money and poverty level don't.  This plan needs those with enough money.  Hang in there, I'll explain.

So you give them the free ticket to a predetermined city.  That city will be one that is suffering a bit with this economic crisis but is big enough to have some tourist points, a target, a Best Buy, Gap, and a decent sized shopping center with an array of shops to choose from.

The thing is, if you bring the Brazilian, they will shop.  The prices in the US in comparison with Brazil are stupidly low.  Add in that they won the ticket and they will go nuts! The ticket price plus what they would have spent anyway will go straight into the US market.

I figure 1000 Brazilians will inflate our economy like an freshly workout-ed Carioca Bottom.

Just look at my husband.  The t-shirts he purchased alone could clothe half of Rio de Janeiro.  But they were only $2 to $5!  Times that buy a 100 and that's where we get you. Watch out China, we're getting sneaky up here.

74% of hottest people of mixed race

They must be talking about me. I'm totally mixed race.  Irish and German.  Before you go and say that they are both white, I have to disagree with you. It's very eggshell and off-white thank you very much.

But in all seriousness, it's very Darwin.  Psychologist at Cardiff University asked subjects to rate the attractiveness of facial photos of 1205 men and women who were black, white, or of any mix of races.  The mixed races were far more popular. 


"Darwin believed that crossbreeding (love when we are talked about like the animals we are) within a species leads to offspring that are genetically fitter than their parents. " - said the Briliant psychologist Michael B Lewis. Got to love a psychologist who's job is to ask 'do you think they are pretty? And them?'


Personally, I love this! I 100% agree!  I guess I can kiss my KKK membership card goodbye.  Oh wait, I did that when I married my Brazilian husband. Brazilians are the most mixed people in the world! They have a little native, African, European, onion, and garlic. A little bit of everything.  And they are either horribly unattractive or very doable. Alright, that is a sweeping generalization, but isn't most of my blog and this study as well.  But I think we can easily say that Brazilians are a good looking bunch. 

In all honesty, I do think there is something behind it.  Interbreeding too much was the downfall of the English.  I mean, what else could explain those teeth! Joking, joking. Come on, totally joking... really, I swear.

Does crossbreeding really make us stronger?  More attractive?

I have to say, I totally agree with the more attractive thing and crossbreeding sounds like a fun, calorie burning activity.  What are your thoughts? 

Here's the original article: Mixed race people perceived as more attractive