Note from BW of Brazil: Well this story has got be sweet and bitter at the same time! Sweet because, as many of you know, Afro-Brazilian women have been routinely ignored in beauty and Miss contests as a general rule in Brazil for decades! Even in states like Bahia with its huge black population, it’s still hard to see representation of black women in the numbers equal to their percentages in that state. In case you didn’t know, a woman of visible African descent has only won Brazil’s top women’s competition, Miss Brasil, once in more than 50+years of competitions, and the winner of this year’s Miss World Brazil was only the second a black woman took the crown. But it’s also a bitter victory because, in what must be the quickest Miss title reign in history, almost as soon as the beauty won, she was forced to surrender the crown due to a regulation violation. A shame. But even as a 24 hour Miss winner, she still deserves a place here at BW of Brazil!
Ana Luísa Castro, from the state of Sergipe, is elected Miss World Brazil 2015
Courtesy of UOL
Ana Luísa Castro, a candidate from the northeastern state of Sergipe, receives the crown of Miss Mundo Brasil 2015 (Miss World Brazil 2015)
The Miss World Sergipe, Ana Luísa Castro, was crowned on Saturday night (27), the most beautiful of the country, in competition held in Florianopolis and broadcast live by UOL.
Ana Luísa competed with 36 other candidates, but came out on top and became the successor to the beautiful Julia Gama, Miss Mundo Brasil 2014. The top 5 was composed of representatives from the Distrito Federal (Federal District) (5th), Ilhabela (2nd), Mato Grosso do Sul (3rd) and Rio Grande do Sul (4th). In her farewell, the beautiful gaúcha (Native of Rio Grande do Sul) Julia Gama thanked her family, friends and co-ordinators.
Ana Luísa Castro, Miss World Brazil 2015 model, is 23 years old, 1.78 m, a business administration student and lives in Aracaju, the capital of Sergipe. The beauty will represent the country in Miss World 2015, to be held in China
Miss Mundo Brasil, Ana Luísa Castro Backer could lose her crown because she’s married
By Carol Marques
It could be the quickest reign in the history of the Miss Mundo Brasil. Elected on the night of Saturday, June 27th in Florianópolis, the representative from Sergipe, Ana Luísa Castro, the second black woman to be chosen to represent the country in 50 years of the contest, could lose her title, the sash and the crown because she is married.
In reality the 23 year old model who got married in Belgium with the Belgian model and actor Tanguy Backer and the formalities for approval in Brazil are already in progress. According to the organizer of the contest of the country, the marriage is against regulations. “We told the international organization and we have two options to give her. Either quit the ratification and keep the title, since the marriage in fact is legally valid in Brazil, or hand over the sash and the crown,” says Henrique Fontes.
Ana Luísa is returning to the city of her birth, Vitória in the state of Espírito Santo and by night she will have to give her decision to the organizers. The vice-champion, Catharina Choi, representing the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, was already told that she could be crowned in Ana Luísa’s place.
Ana Luísa defeated 36 candidates and would represent the country in the Miss Mundo Universe (Miss World Universe) in December in China.
Miss World Brazil loses crown 24 hours after being elected
Courtesy of Correio 24 Horas
Ana Luísa Castro, 23, elected the new Miss Mundo Brasil on Saturday (27), lost her crown just over 24 hours after winning the title. The young native of Vitória, but that represented Sergipe in the contest, resigned after the organization said that her marital status broke the rules of the contest.
Only single women can participate in it, and the model was married in Belgium to the Belgian model and actor Tanguy Backer. The procedures for the approval in Brazil are already underway.
In a note sent to the organization, Ana Luísa Castro said he had a “union” with a Belgian, and that the ratification of union of the may happen in the future, which could cause problems for her and for the national competition if she remained elected.
“I hand over the crown and the title to the Vice Miss World Brazil, with great sadness in the heart,” said the Miss, in a statement sent to the press. With the decision, the runner-up, Choi Catharina Nunes, 25, will assume the crown. The model is a representative of Ilhabela (São Paulo)
Miss Mundo Brasil could lose crown for being married
Ana Luísa also said the state coordination of the contest was aware of her marital status, and therefore she continued her candidacy. The national organization of the competition reported that he analyzed what happened, and what measures would be taken on the case. “Only after the coronation this [impossibility of being Miss] was revealed to me. I assure you that at no time did I act in bad faith,” said the model.
The new Miss World Brazil is the first Oriental woman to win the title in Brazil. Catharina Choi has Korean ancestry and is a student of Social Communication. She already was a TV host in South Korea. She will represent Brazil in the Miss World contest, to be held in December in China.
Source: UOL, Extra, Correio 24 Horas
Black women are amazing they will celebrate ANYTHING and I do mean ANYTHING positive about themselves.
Even when knowingly breaking the rules, this woman competed anyway. They likely said it was fine because being Black and as you complain are hardly favorites to win these sorts of competitions.
So winning become such a shock to the status quo that they quickly re-read their own rules and said she couldn’t be Miss Brazil because she was married.
Yet this blog still celebrates this very MINOR victory as a triumph for Black women, especially dark skin Black women as this blog continually blames White Supremacy for the genocide of dark skin, as if the majority of European decent Brazilians are pre-occupied with such things.
The former Miss Brazil is married to a European White male and has a very light skinned child, yet you complain about White Supremacy in Brazil and at the same time wax on about how Black women have limited choices when it comes to marriage options?
Do you understand the parallels I see with this blog and Black women in the United States?
All your missing is the high abortion rates, high rates of teenage pregnancy, epidermic rates of Single Motherhood and the high STD rates that BW suffer from in the United States.
Yet Black women in America try and tell Black men who desire to visit Brazil that they’ll pick up an STD such as AIDS from Brazilian women specifically prostitutes (GDP); but they also include regular everyday Brazilians too because it’s a 3rd World/Developing Nation.
This blog continues the tradition of Blaming racism and Black men for their woes in Western society.
Really?
Ahhh, it’s Mr. Thomas again! Good morning to you! Won’t bother to address your comments considering the points you’ve made in the past. No point in it. A bit contradictory and within your comments you basically show that you don’t get it and don’t wanna get it. No problem! Interesting that you would point out white supremacy because you continue to show that in reality, don’t understand it!
“If you don’t understand racism/white supremacy, what it is and how it works, everything else you think you understand will only confuse you” – Neely Fuller, Jr.
It may well be he doesn’t get it, but there are some valid points and you bother to give a non-answer. For example, you do seem to have a bias against black man even when black women do about the same. You excuse black women for marrying whites as “they have no other option, it’s black man’s fault” instead of concluding both are more likely doing for the same reasons (desire of whitening).
It the case of this competition you make a good case that it was her wrong doing that made her lose the title and not racism. But if you do believe it was racism, all you would need to do is to make a better argument. If not for the benefit of Thomas, to everyone else’s. Otherwise, why would you bother to have this blog? Just to point out people “don’t get white supremacy” when they disagree with you, or to engage in a debate that can make people less ignorant?
“Well”: Before you make it appear that I aimlessly dismissed the previous comments, follow the history of the discussion. We have gone round and round on this topic a number of times and I have simply accepted that we differ in opinion on this topic. For this reason I wrote, there was no reason to address because the fact is he, I and numerous have already done this. There are those who would agree with him and others who see cracks in the armor of his arguments, particularly in a 2 or 3 way discussion three months ago. So before you jump into a conversation that you may be new to, I would suggest you search past posts and perhaps you’ll find responses that you seek. For me, repeating things would be a waste of time. Also, there are posts here in which this blog acknowledges that the idea of whitening does in fact affect black women as well.
What an idiot. Only a black American man can find a way to make this about the black American women. Stop focusing on the black women and focus on your fellow American black men with a high case of going to prison, high unemployment rate, high rate of not graduating from high school and having multiple children out wedlock. Your a pathetic loser who is an Internet thug.
Of course she married white! So tired of these white worshippers !!!
hello, I’m Tanguy De Backer, the husband of Ana luisa Castro; 1: we don’t have a kid, she’s my niece, 2: we met in China and no matter our color, we just felt in love, 3: we are a partnership and always helped each other no matter what, 4: we both have problem in the country of the other,more because of our nationality than our colour. 5: there s always stupid people pointing out the differences of what they know or are believing to be the best, we face judgement everyday but that’s the way part of the world is (mankind) and is one of our motivation to break misconception and help the world to improve, even at the smallest scale. cheers
This reminds me of that picture in an earlier post where this black grandma is thanking “the lord” for the fact that her mulatto daughter had a white child. Black people are still the only ones who procreates with our enemies, no wonder why we have no respect on this planet whatsoever. Besides, the rules are crystal clear, everybody knows them, heck, even I knew you can’t be in any sort of relationship if you want to enter into a pageant such as Ms. World/Universe/Earth/Galaxy, there’s simply no excuse.
Are you guys being serious? You are arguing for the upliftment of the Black race, yet your last two articles is of Black women married to white foreigners. What type of message do you think you are sending to a young Black Brazilian female. Are you not perpetrating the same rubbish you accuse Black footballers of?
In fact Charles, the point here on an English site dedicated to sharing these issues with the English-speaking world is first to present what goes on in Brazil on a regular basis. In numerous posts, this blog has critiqued a seemingly unconscious adoration of whiteness among many black Brazilians. The article already mentioned that Ana married a Belgium man and presenting the article and the photos is not to be seen as an endorsement of interracial relations but simply to expose a reality in Brazil. In numerous social networks there is a growing debate on this topic and this is a necessary dialogue.
Dont forget the recent article that was published here, which touches clearly on the topic of how Black women should not go looking for the “White Saviour”. If you are not familiar, the article can be found here:
http://blackwomenofbrazil.co/2015/03/21/the-charming-prince-for-the-end-of-the-romanticizing-of-the-european-white-man/
As well as an older article touching the subject, which can be found here:
http://blackwomenofbrazil.co/2014/06/19/race-and-representation-the-great-white-savior-complex-continues-in-popular-globo-tv-novela/
@Gatas – I have provided links to some of your previous articles, but it is awaiting moderation. Can you approve the comment? Thank you in advance!!
@gatasnegras, there is no point here. You have to decide what view point your blog wants to articulate. You cannot advocate for Black Progress yet you are busy showcasing Brazilian women with Dark skin married to White European Men. In your last post it was one married to a Finnish man, now another one married to a Belgian. How is that different from the Black soccer stars. I cannot understand how you fail to see the problem with this. What you are doing is terribly backward and perpetrates the stereotype of the savior complex, the worship of white skin. In other words the subliminal message being sent by your post is that if a dark skinned Black woman is not married to a European white man with light skinned children then she is not successful. This takes Black people backwards and you should be ashamed of yourself for doing this.
Eu falo a verdade agora e eu conheço o Brasil. Mulheres escuras (pardas e pretas) querem um homem branco. Todos os homem negros com sangue bom (Brasilieros, EUA e Europa) que gostam mulheres negras vai para EUA ou Europa lá as mulheres negras é muito melhor.
I want to be happy for her, but it is SOOOO irritating that she has been disqualified for breaking the rules (especially in a country where white people break them all day every day at high levels without punishment). It is even more irritating that she has been disqualified for being married to some white dude! Howver, she is a beautiful sista and I am happy that she at least had here 24 hours.
Bamabarsileira,
You’re the best person arguing in here, always. This is ALL you got this time? Nothing related to Thomas comments??
wow….
LOLOL! Thanks for the shoutout. To be honest, I do not argue with Thomas because he seems a bit whiny and somewhat incoherent. He always says the same thing as it relates to interracial dating (as though he is trying to resolve something inside himself, rather than engage honestly). I like to read how others choose to engage him instead!
You should be honest with comments. You’re not.
shame on you.
That is an interesting excuse, as you NEVER address any comments from anyone. Bamabrasileira is the only person answering questions here, you merely show the news, but probably cannot do more.
I am following this blog, and don’t tell me it’s a simple matter of going back. You have contradicting opinions that you cannot explain, NEVER had, probably never will.
Very well, that’s your opinion. I too totally appreciate Bamabrasileira’s comments! But I have also made numerous comments on this blog! You don’t believe? Fine? But I have the numbers of all the comments so I know full well who comments here. In terms of contradictions, please DO feel free to inform me of contradictory views. I would gladly consider your views and defend my own.
OK. How about you explain why you have a bias against black man even when black women have the same attitude You excuse black women for marrying whites as “they have no other option, it’s black man’s fault” instead of concluding both are more likely doing for the same reasons (desire of whitening).
I went back to many, many posts backs tying to find a reason for this bias, but I couldn’t find one.
I must be stupid but maybe you can help me out?
OK, here we go. And yes, I have discussed this in previous comments sections but since you didn’t find them I will repeat my stance here. 1) There are at least 4 articles on the blog that either touch on or directly show the fact that black women are also affected by the ideology of whitening. It’s a fact. 2) I have studied this scenario, books and dissertations on this topic for a number of years and in all of the findings, whether in Bahia, Rio or SP, the general attitude of black men is “love has no color”. While it is true that both black men and women are affected by the ideology of whitening, black women are much more likely to identify an issue of the disappearance of the black race and the splintering of the black family. I have yet to find a dissertation in which black men are speaking of a problem within the black community in terms of love, dating, marriage and family. The attitude seems to be, “I’ve made my choice, make yours.” I have participated n NUMEROUS online debates on this topic dating back to the old ORKUT and the attitude is always the same. Black men accuse black women of being mad or angry while completely avoiding any meaningful dialogue. After the facts are presented I’ve seen black men simply leave the conversation rather than engaging an important topic. I’ve seen groups of black women in communities specifically aimed at forming relationships with black men and these black men will enter these communities and post photos of themselves with white and Asian women! Like it’s a joke, a slap in the face. It’s like, “you are just mad that we don’t like you”. 3. Although both sides date whites, on average, in entertainment for example, I find more black women who marry black men and see the importance of it. 4. I’ve been to events that discuss “Amor Afrocentrado” (African-centered love) and often see many more black women at these events. 5. Reports show that it is quite common that when a black man accepts a relationship with a black woman, she usually has more social clout that he. It’s as if he demands to be “taken care of” to even consider a relationship with a black woman. 6. I know personally and have had conversations with numerous black women who after having children with black men are abandoned, often times for a white woman. 7. From my findings and experiences, YES, both sides are affected by adoration of whiteness, but between the two, if black relationships ever become priority, it will be black women who bring this to the forefront. As such, I wouldn’t label my reports as bashing black men. I simply report what I see based on studies and years of observations and personal stories. I consistently seek sources online that legitimately present black men’s thoughts on the topic beyond “love has no color” but, again, usually when I find people willing to speak of the near invisibility of black couples, black women are usually the authors. I simply don’t see the type of acknowledgement or concern about this problem among black Brazilian men. I will publish one soon, but they are quite rare. In a nutshell, that’s what I see on the ground.
WOW! You do realize that Gatas takes these articles, which are originally written in Portuguese, and TRANSLATES them into English so that the English speaking world can have some idea about what is going on in Brazil. It is not her job to tell us how to think and feel about the artifcles, or to be a personal library for us!. Rather, she has chosen to present the information and allow all who read it to engage in discussion about it! Perhaps we do not need her to be our mother! Maybe she can simply present the information to us, and we, as intelligent human beings, can search for answers on our own!
Also, It is not rue that she does not address comments! You need to spend a LOT more time in the comment section of the various articles!
Image and presentation is everything. This blog is about Black women in Brasil. The last post I read here was of a Black woman who said she felt like a queen married to a Finn and living in Finland. Where are the Brazilian women in Brazil who triumph over racism daily. I particularly hate the picture of the model with her white family looking like she has arrived
@Charles
Completely agreed. Image IS everything! As this is a topic we frequently deal with on this blog, we hope that you can understand the dilemma here. How do you present positive images that promote black representation when so many of the oppressed group’s members don’t seem to recognize this importance?
Of course, this is a simple explanation, but the reasons behind them would all have to be approached individually. In other words, only the individuals themselves know why they choose their partners. And although it is a group problem, the choices are individual. These choices, for all their complexities (which in fact may not be so complex after all), are not issues that can be solved completely by a blog whose language doesn’t reach probably 90-95% of it’s principle subjects.
I DO understand your point. Hopefully the previous response explained our position and dilemma. I note that you didn’t really approach any of the points made in the last response so it’s not clear if you agreed in part or disagreed with it completely.
No explanation. THAT is consistent with this blog.
thanks! Awesome answer!
” While it is true that both black men and women are affected by the ideology of whitening, black women are much more likely to identify an issue of the disappearance of the black race and the splintering of the black family. I have yet to find a dissertation in While it is true that both black men and women are affected by the ideology of whitening, black women are much more likely to identify an issue of the disappearance of the black race and the splintering of the black family. I have yet to find a dissertation in which black men are speaking of a problem within the black community in terms of love, dating, marriage and family
So, your argument comes from not finding a “DISSERTATION in which black men are speaking of a problem within the black community in terms of love, dating, marriage and family”
Interesting…..
@Charles: 1) I acknowledge the point and the problem here. The fact is, a number of posts have addressed the question of the adoration of whiteness. This blog doesn’t seek to glamorize this. 2) There is a difference between reporting the facts and glamorizing them. 3) I recently participated in an online debate that discussed this very topic. After we saw Nayara Justino, the former Globeleza girl and now Ana Luisa, it is often quite frustrating to see this trend. We here at the blog were excited to see her victory and I wasn’t even aware of the fact that she was married, much less to a European man until someone posted a photo of her online with her husband.
Now, concerning this post and others that show interracial unions, for some, not presenting these facts could be construed as dishonesty. In previous posts I actually wrote that many would be quite disappointed if they knew that so many of these beautiful black women are in fact in relationships with white men which would present a difficult choice. On the one hand, we can post great stories about achievements of these women and not include photos of their personal relationships and avoid this discussion entirely. But on the other hand, not featuring this facet of these women’s lives would also not address the complexity of issues within the black community.
This blog gets numerous requests from black (and non-black) men from around the world who seek connections with these women. If race and identity were important to non-Brazilian black men, do you not think that not showing that many of these women either have no preference in race or actually prefer white men wouldn’t be a bit misleading? Just today, the blog and fan page received comments of the sort, “I liked her until I discovered she liked white men.”
The objective here is to present the fact that there are serious issues of identity within the black Brazilian community and featuring such unions are not an endorsement of these unions but rather a way of showing that, yes, there are black women doing some great things in Brazil, but on the other hand, there is another side to the story that may in fact turn persons of the Afro-Centric ideology completely away from Brazil. It is not the intention. We choose to tell the whole story.
In a similar manner, many years ago I remember reading a post-mortem article about America R&B crooner Luther Vandross. The journalist had the choice of fulfilling his journalistic duties and telling all he knew about Vandross or respecting a very well constructed veil of secrecy concerning the singer’s sexuality. In other words, should he reveal a secret that Vandross insiders knew was a guarded secret and or should he tell the whole story? He chose to tell the whole story.
The documentary series hosted by Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates is another example of this. In the series that traces the ancestry of famous Americans, Gates discovered that the family of actor Ben Affleck were slave owners once upon a time. Learning this information, Affleck requested that Gates edit this part out of the feature. If Gates would have complied, it would have put the integrity of the entire series at risk, so he was faced with a dilemma.
In a similar manner, as this blog’s focus is telling the story of the experience of blackness in Brazil, I judge it to be deceiving to present the community as being on the verge of a “black power” movement when we know there are serious issues that intersect with this idea. I find that even within black “consciousness” circles in Brazil numerous activists see no contradiction in “speaking black and sleeping white.”
The women who contribute articles to this blog are emerging from a new line of thinking among black activists that one simply doesn’t see among many black men, at least those who are blogging. The views of these women should NOT be seen as representation of the Brazil’s community of black women as a whole because Brazil has been under a culture of white supremacy for decades/centuries and it will take decades to reverse the depths of this ideology if it is in fact even possible.
With that said, you could look at the blog and make the accusation that you made. But another reader could look at the issue and come away thinking that black Brazilians have serious identity issues, which is in no way a fault of this little blog. We would love to see more black couples among middle class circles and black Brazil’s entertainers, but as you can see, sometimes it seems that there are slim pickings.
I believe your accusation is not warranted but as we all have opinions, I’m sure there are those who will agree with your views and those who will agree with the explanations made above.
Thanks for your time!
@gatasnegra. I am married to a Black woman with two beautiful children and I actually searched for her. I live in Southern California where there is no shortage of Caucasian women. In 1994 my apartment manager was a Brazilian lady from Bahia, she was a mulatta, a very beautiful woman. I would tease her by telling her she is beautiful, she would respond, I am just okay, you should go to Bahia and see beauty. In 1996 after some Portuguese lessons, I decided I was going to go find myself a Black Brazilian woman to marry. I was in Bahia for almost two months. I stayed at a hotel called the Pestana. Generally, the Black women were not friendly and when they were friendly, they always had an agenda like trying to get me to buy overpriced paintings. After 4 weeks, I eventually met a WHITE Brazilian woman who worked in a jewelry store called Stern. I concluded I could not stay with what I rejected in America so I broke that off. The Blacks even discriminated against each other. One day a Black woman came to clean my hotel room and almost fainted when she saw me, when I asked her why she was shocked, she said Blacks do not generally stay in the hotel.Like President Obama says, WE ARE THE CHANGE WE SEEK”. You cannot be that change when all you show are Black women thankful that they married white men. You have to propagate Blackness. That is the only way we will overcome.
I agree with everything you just wrote! I’ve seen everything you just wrote. What is unfortunate is that we don’t see many famous black couples in Brazil. Of course, everyday couples are very important too. What I am happy to see is that there is a growing number of black Brazilians who can see beyond the rhetoric of ‘love has no color’ and see that there is something very profound psychologically going on here. A few days ago, there was a debate about Ana Luisa’s victory and her husband. The debate got so heated that the moderator had to shut down the debate! There were nearly 600 comments on the topic! The debate went back and forth. Many black women argued about the solitude of so many black women, others saw no problem with the couple and still others pointed out that yet another black woman in the media had a white partner. The struggle and the mind programming is deep!
@Well
How is it that I wrote all of the reasons for that many of these articles are based on and you still come away with only “So, your argument comes from not finding a “DISSERTATION in which black men are speaking of a problem within the black community in terms of love, dating, marriage and family”?
There are a series of points that I made in my explanation. If you tally up everything I wrote and narrow it down to only that it seems you are doing the same thing you accused me of doing. I have no problem with a debate but I explained the reasons why I didn’t feel the obligation of going down the same road with someone with which I’ve already had this discussion.
I’ve gave you a detailed explanation and you totally ignore most of the things I pointed out. This is the exact reason that I don’t feel the need to always explain things thoroughly; why put in all the effort when people will simply pick and choose which of my points they will address rather than the whole?
How about addressing my entire response as you had previously asked me to do?
@Well
Thanks for your recognition of my response. But I would like to know your thoughts on what I explained to both you and Charles.
@ Charles – you ALSO have to realize the harsh reality that Black Brazilian women are outpacing Black Brazilian men with relation to higher education and earning capacity (similar to the US). Brazil is still very much a traditional society with traditional roles between men and women. Add to that mix the EXTREME classism that exists here, which has systemic racism that negatively effects Black males more than all others, AND which does not allow most people – regardless of color – to marry outside their class at home. In addition to that, MANY of the more successful Black men in Brazil are NOT INTERESTED in successful or educated dark-skinned Brazilian women.
Sorry dude, but if you are a beautiful woman with many options in life, you want a Black King, not some broke – ass nigga! This is true for African American women as well as Afro Brazilian women. Most of these Black women would probably prefer to have a successful Black man here in Brazil, but the only way that she will get this successful Blac man isis a) to have grown up with him and had her family arrange for them to be married later b) be lucky enough to meet one at university- though Black women at universities here generally outnumber Black men c) be lucky enough to find one of the few Afro Brazilian men who doesn’t IMMEDIATELY go white, once success meets him d) marry “down” and just accept that she has to be with someone who earns less or is less educated (which most of us REALLY don’t want to do, as it typically emasculates the man, to some degree) or e) go snatch one out of prison and devote years to rehabilitating him.
On the surface; the issue is the same for both the men an women. But under the surface, the women are getting the short end of the stick for partnership options in Brazil, as they do in the USA. For women who are not born rich or white in Brazil, who do not want to have financial difficulties for the rest of their lives, or deal with a man who secretly hates her for being attractive or earning more money, or being more educated than him, looking outside of the country is really one of their only options. It just so happens that many white Europeans find Black people beautiful,= – especially when compared to cold and repressed white women – but have a long way to go before they could ever understand us deeply.
@Charles and @Well
I would also like to add a simple observation on this topic. I’ve been to several states around Brazil: Bahia, Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and Paraná and wherever I am I always notice the same pattern. If I meet a successful black man, if he is college educated, has traveled outside of Brazil and has an important position in a company, it’s almost automatic he will be married to a white woman. While I acknowledge that this is often true of successful black women as well, when I meet a black woman, in my mind, there is at least a chance that her husband will be black. When I meet a black man, there is rarely an exception to the rule. The title of a book that speaks on this issue expresses this standard. The book is called “Virou Regra?” which means basically, ‘has this become the rule’?
The standard is less obvious in Bahia because there are so many Afro-Brazilians there but the pattern is also noticeable.
As I’ve said, I have rarely heard a black man complain about slim pickings of women, because in general, they’ve made it clear that they will marry any race of women, with black woman (apparently on the bottom of the pile). If you check out interviews with the likes of Tais Araujo, they speak of being passed over for white girls in school. Journalist Gloria Maria, the prominent black woman journalist Brazil ever had, is often accused of not dating black men. It’s true I’ve never seen her with a black man, but she also stated in an interview that black men never approach her! Former basketball player Marta also revealed this. Numerous black women on this blog speak on this topic as well.
Yes, black women are also clearly affected by the ideology of ‘whitening’ but because they are usually the least wanted on the marriage market, they are the ones who are acknowledging that there is a problem. From what I’ve personally witnessed and what I’ve read in studies, black women are passed over by both black and white men; black men don’t feel this rejection because they don’t feel an obligation to marry black women.
If you’ve never been to Brazil, these facts may appear to be simply “bashing black men”, but it IS a reality.
I understand your opinion now, thanks.
First of all, thanks for taking the time to explain your point. I know you have better things to do than to argue with ignorants such as myself.
Just wanted to add another point.
Many (most?) black men are raised by single black women. Do you think that, in some sense, these women are not raising their boys to pay attention to this? Or even worse, do you think they are encouraging this behavior? Black men are children before being men. The fact that this trend exists as you say stronger for males, has to be also related to their family values (if you have already talked about this too, just point me out to the link and I’ll read it.)
Perhaps their absent fathers are not raising them to be good men. Remember that women do not conceive children by themselves (though a lot of folks think that Black women are superhuman – including many Black men).
Perhaps Black men should start stepping up to the plate more, without having to be forced or shamed into it, and start raising the kids they helped to conceive…
I totally agree with you, although this seems to be a circle (boys are raised with absent fathers, become men without proper values, that do not raise their boys, etc).
My comment referred however to the women that do raise the children by themselves. You do not think they are capable of showing their boys that marrying white is not the only way? You think these boys are solely responsible? Society is a white brain washing machine, so without some conscious adult showing them otherwise I don’t even see they have any choice.
@Well –
I must agree with what Gatas is saying 100% – particularly about the different experiences between the USA and Brazil.
I would also add that, still, you seem to be placing the full responsibility of raising a boy into a good man on the shoulders of the women, while completely absolving men of ANY responsibility regarding the issue, while also refusing to acknowledge that the USA also has a societal issue with men assuming that “white is right” as they come of age.
Are Black men so dumb and idiotic that they are just completely incapable of eventually learning to think for themselves, because Black women have never been afforded the luxury of saying “well, nobody told me…” ? It is a rhetorical question, but I am wondering why you do not hold men accountable for their actions, and why you seem to be looking for some way to blame their mothers for not raising them “correctly”, to value Black women.
Again, perhaps the onus is on more of our men to step up to the plate and start making more conscious choices, rather than abandoning us for white women because “nobody ever told them not to…” We are in a critical phase now where Black people must, unfortunately, do MORE than is asked of us so that we can rise to the next level. I have seen Black women rise up, time and again (after all, it was a Black WOMAN who climbed a flag pole in South Carolina to take down a racist flag, rather than a Black man). I would like for more of our Black men to stop acting like they have been living under a rock their whole lives or that they do not have access to a television or the internet, or books, or people in their communities, from which they can also learn.
The intention was not to blame black women and not hold black men accountable. However, I also think black men cannot take all the blame. We have to realize that both are victims of the same system in their own way.
I do believe black men should and can take a stand on the issue, but that is only for a minority. It’s not a question of being dumb and idiotic but to recognize they’re not being helped in any way. Consider also the fact that white women in Brazil are an object of adoration on a different level that white men are. White women are everywhere, in every advertise, in every magazine, in every TV show. They are sold as being a trophy for any men, not just white men. Try to imagine a black boy growing getting bombarded by these images every single day added the fact of seeing all famous and successful black men marring white women.
“while also refusing to acknowledge that the USA also has a societal issue with men assuming that “white is right” as they come of age.”
I have no idea where you got that from. I would just add that the situation for US men and Brazilian men is different for the vary reasons Gatas was mentioning, that I understand you also agree.
In the end of the day I’m less interested in the blame game and trying to think about solutions. Is it realistic that we wait for black men to solve the issue? You said it yourself in another post that black women are surpassing black men in everything and I pretty much agree. If the contrary were true, there would be a big discussion about gender discrimination, but since it’s the contrary, nobody seems to think the education of boys, in articular black boys, need a little push? Maybe it will really be left to black women to help their men. If women are getting more college educated they are also in a better position to fight for better policies being created for their children, including the male ones. Or we can leave things like this and wait for black boys to start thinking for themselves on their own with no help and start taking a stand when they come to age. Maybe using “books and the internet” is enough. We can also wait and see for this to happen, but I think it’s an unlikely revolution.
Wow – you are REALLY depressing, but what you have said gives me a lot of insight into the mind of many other Black men.
It seems that because Black men are “bombarded” with images of Black men and white women, they should not be held accountable for any of their actions, where who they relate to is concerned.
And then you say this:
” Maybe it will really be left to black women to help their men”
Help them HOW??? Black women ALREADY provide the backbone of Black society pretty much EVERYWHERE!. However, at some point, the Black men will need to EVOLVE to meet us. Just as all of the best and brightest of Brazil cannot leave so they can go live with white people in Europe, we cannot have all of our Black men give up, as you seem to be suggesting that they do (perhaps you have given up…)
Also, forget about “starting a revolution” and changing all Black people everywhere. We too often hide behind the fact that we have problems and seem to feel that we do not have to be responsible unless the whole system is changed in a revolutionary act. Its a bit childish if you ask me. How about just starting with yourself being a good man for one Black woman. Then have a child. If it is a boy, teach him to be a good man for a Black woman.
@Charles>Hello everybody. Greetings from Washington, DC. I have been lurking on this sight for about a year. eu sinto atrasado para a festa. (Feel me?). Anyway, I just wanted to echo the sentiments from Charles. I found that white women in Brasil approached me much more often than any other race. I also appreciate how Asian women own their sexuality there in Sao Paulo. I find that refreshing even though it is off-topic. Someone told me to go to Bahia because ‘ os negros la estao muito mais concientes de sua negritude.’ (Please forgive my horrible Portuguese) I never made it to Bahia(My loss) By the way, I’m not taking sides I am just adding my own personal observations.