The constructions of race and sexuality in Brazilian society parallel those of other societies – North American and European – while simultaneously being extremely distinct, unique in that they are the primary characteristics shaping identity construction in Brazil. Because standards of beauty based on a literal spectrum of skin color transforms sexuality in Brazilian favelas into a racial matter, race and sexuality are closely intertwined and in turn influence the social mobility in favelas of a class order based on race. Thus, conceptualizing sexuality as the only means of attaining upward social mobility, cultural constructions of race and sexuality have idealized the image of the seductive mulata. Orienting their lives around sexuality
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After abolishing slavery, Brazil “forged a tentative identity that accepted and even celebrated its racial mixture, and thus diverged somewhat from standard European narratives of the time that glorified their own whiteness and homogeneity” (Goldstein, 117). In this sense, part of Brazil’s liveliness and vitality comes from the mixture of races throughout the country. The absence of racist tendencies is best validated by the many inter-racial relationships found in Brazil. These inter-racial unions, and even the general “color-blind” sexuality seen with white men who prefer dark-skinned women, provide proof, in their eyes, of their freedom from racism: Brazil’s racial democracy (108-109). However, the belief that color determines one’s chances in life still seems to heavily persist in Brazil, particularly the shantytowns – perhaps because race and class are so intertwined. While race does not necessarily define a Brazilian woman’s sexual life, race seems to define all other aspects of daily life. An automatic class marker, race instantly terms the life a woman in Brazil can have – her chances and opportunities: lighter-skinned women, or those who have “whiter” characteristics are believed to have better chances of succeeding in life with greater job …show more content…
Critical to the process of identity construction, the mulata image “summarizes and celebrates the imagery of a fun-loving population, of free and unhindered sexuality, and of tropical sensuality” – the ultimate embodiment of Carnival (117). Thus, the Brazilian mulata becomes a product of a national ideology about both race and sexuality, forming a particular set of images much more protected and even exalted as a positive reading of national identity, not one criticized as an overly exoticized or overly sexualized image of black women (112). Sexuality therefore heavily influences Brazil’s national identity by allowing a bridging of the gap between races, a bridging characteristic of Brazil’s image of a lively mixing pot of races where race, beauty, and sensuality are celebrated – an image that is upheld and maintained by the
After abolishing slavery, Brazil “forged a tentative identity that accepted and even celebrated its racial mixture, and thus diverged somewhat from standard European narratives of the time that glorified their own whiteness and homogeneity” (Goldstein, 117). In this sense, part of Brazil’s liveliness and vitality comes from the mixture of races throughout the country. The absence of racist tendencies is best validated by the many inter-racial relationships found in Brazil. These inter-racial unions, and even the general “color-blind” sexuality seen with white men who prefer dark-skinned women, provide proof, in their eyes, of their freedom from racism: Brazil’s racial democracy (108-109). However, the belief that color determines one’s chances in life still seems to heavily persist in Brazil, particularly the shantytowns – perhaps because race and class are so intertwined. While race does not necessarily define a Brazilian woman’s sexual life, race seems to define all other aspects of daily life. An automatic class marker, race instantly terms the life a woman in Brazil can have – her chances and opportunities: lighter-skinned women, or those who have “whiter” characteristics are believed to have better chances of succeeding in life with greater job …show more content…
Critical to the process of identity construction, the mulata image “summarizes and celebrates the imagery of a fun-loving population, of free and unhindered sexuality, and of tropical sensuality” – the ultimate embodiment of Carnival (117). Thus, the Brazilian mulata becomes a product of a national ideology about both race and sexuality, forming a particular set of images much more protected and even exalted as a positive reading of national identity, not one criticized as an overly exoticized or overly sexualized image of black women (112). Sexuality therefore heavily influences Brazil’s national identity by allowing a bridging of the gap between races, a bridging characteristic of Brazil’s image of a lively mixing pot of races where race, beauty, and sensuality are celebrated – an image that is upheld and maintained by the