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Times are changing for Brazil's porker bikini wearers
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Senor Pedro
Jan 30, 2012, 8:31:02 PM1/30/12
to
http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/americas/6330962/Times-are-changing-
for-Brazils-bikini-wearers
Tall and tan and young and ... chunky?
The Girl From Ipanema has put on a few pounds, and for many
sunbathers on Brazil's beaches the country's iconic itsy-bitsy,
teeny-weeny bikini just doesn't suffice anymore.
A growing number of bikini manufacturers have woken up to
Brazil's thickening waistline and are reaching out to the ever-
expanding ranks of heavy women with new plus-size lines.
That's nothing short of a revolution in this most body-conscious
of nations, where overweight ladies long had little choice but
to hit the beach in comely ensembles of oversized T-shirts and
biker shorts.
''It used to be bikinis were only in tiny sizes that only skinny
girls could fit into. But not everyone is built like a model,''
said Elisangela Inez Soares as she sunbathed on Copacabana
beach, her oiled-up curves packed into a black size 12 bikini.
''Finally, it seems like people are beginning to realise that
we're not all Gisele,'' said the 38-year-old mother of four,
referring to willowy Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen.
Clothing designer Clarice Rebelatto said her own swimwear-
hunting travails prompted her to found Lehona, an exclusively
plus-size beachwear line.
''Honestly, the problem went way beyond just bikinis. In Brazil,
it used to be that if you were even a little chunky, finding any
kind of clothes in the right size was a real problem,'' said
Rebelatto, herself a size 10.
''And I thought, 'I'm actually not even that big compared to a
lot of women out there, so if I have problems, what are they
doing?'''
Since its launch in 2010, the line has become a hit.
In brash leopard spots and flower prints not meant for
wallflowers, the label's 14 bikini styles aren't what ou'd
normally associate with plus-size swimsuits. The necklines
plunge dramatically. Straps are mere strings.
And while the bottoms provide too much coverage to qualify for
the famed ''fio dental'' or ''dental floss'' category of
Brazilian string bikinis, they're significantly more audacious
than the standard US cut.
''We're working from the principle that bigger women are just
like everyone else: They don't want to look like old ladies,
wearing these very modest, very covering swimsuits in just
black,'' said Luiz Rebelatto, Clarice's son and director of
Lehona.
He said that recent publicity of the brand and several other new
swimwear lines catering to plus sizes has triggered an
overwhelming number of calls and e-mails from would-be customers.
''They're all excited and they say, 'I've been looking
everywhere for a bikini like that. Where can I get one?''' said
Rebelatto.
Lehona is currently sold exclusively at big and tall specialty
stores throughout Brazil. Its bikinis retail for about 130 reais
or US$75 ($91) - a relatively high price-point here, but
Rebelatto said sales have grown at a galloping pace, though he
did not provide any figures.
It's the same story at Acqua Rosa, a conventional swimwear label
that added a plus-size line in 2008. Now, plus-size purchases
account for more than 70 per cent of the brand's total sales,
said director Joao Macedo.
It makes sense.
For centuries, large swaths of Brazil were beset by
malnutrition, and in 1970, nearly 10 per cent of the population
in the country's poor, rural northeast region was considered
underweight, according to Brazil's national statistics institute.
But the phenomenal economic boom that has lifted tens of
millions out of poverty and into the burgeoning middle class
over the past decade has also changed the nation's once-svelte
physique: A 2010 study by the statistics institute showed that
48 per cent of adult women and 50 per cent of men are now
overweight.
In 1985, those figures were 29 per cent for women and 18 per
cent for men.
(Still, there's been no rash of plus-size male swimwear lines,
as men here wear Speedo-style suits that don't impinge on big
guts.)
Analysts attribute Brazil's rapidly widening girth to changes in
nutrition, with chips, processed meats and sugary soft drinks
replacing staples like rice, beans and vegetables.
And while the country's elite are widely known to be fitness
freaks - and also among the world's top consumers of cosmetic
surgery - those recently lifted out of poverty and manual labour
are becoming increasingly sedentary. A 2008 study showed that
barely 10 per cent of Brazilian teens and adults exercise
regularly.
Still, despite their growing numbers, not everyone is eager to
embrace ''gordinhas'' - or ''little fatties,'' as chunky women
are affectionately known here.
Many high-end bikini-makers have turned a seemingly deliberately
blind eye to the burgeoning plus-size market. Rio-based upmarket
brand Salinas, for example, offers five sizes, from extra-small
through extra-large.
But their sizing runs notoriously small and it's hard to imagine
anyone over a size 6 actually managing to fit into any of the
brand's minuscule two-pieces.
Luis Rebelatto of Lehona chalked it partially up to snobbery.
''Some brands, they don't want their image to be associated with
chunky women,'' he said. ''Only the thin, the rich and the
chic.''
While Brazilians' increasing heft is a public policy
preoccupation for the government, growth in the ranks of the
overweight population has given them increased visibility in
Brazilian society.
Extra-wide bucket seats for the obese have been installed in Sao
Paulo's metro system, and on Sunday the city will host Brazil's
first ever Miss Plus Size beauty contest.
''It used to be that people would stare at me,'' said Soares,
the voluptuous sun-worshiper on Copacabana beach. ''Now when I
come to the beach I see women who are much bigger than me - and
lots of them are wearing bikinis - so I'm not self conscious any
more.
''God makes some people thin but he made me like this,'' she
said, rubbing down the well-oiled bulge of her stomach and
thighs. ''So who am I to think that he was wrong?''
for-Brazils-bikini-wearers
Tall and tan and young and ... chunky?
The Girl From Ipanema has put on a few pounds, and for many
sunbathers on Brazil's beaches the country's iconic itsy-bitsy,
teeny-weeny bikini just doesn't suffice anymore.
A growing number of bikini manufacturers have woken up to
Brazil's thickening waistline and are reaching out to the ever-
expanding ranks of heavy women with new plus-size lines.
That's nothing short of a revolution in this most body-conscious
of nations, where overweight ladies long had little choice but
to hit the beach in comely ensembles of oversized T-shirts and
biker shorts.
''It used to be bikinis were only in tiny sizes that only skinny
girls could fit into. But not everyone is built like a model,''
said Elisangela Inez Soares as she sunbathed on Copacabana
beach, her oiled-up curves packed into a black size 12 bikini.
''Finally, it seems like people are beginning to realise that
we're not all Gisele,'' said the 38-year-old mother of four,
referring to willowy Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen.
Clothing designer Clarice Rebelatto said her own swimwear-
hunting travails prompted her to found Lehona, an exclusively
plus-size beachwear line.
''Honestly, the problem went way beyond just bikinis. In Brazil,
it used to be that if you were even a little chunky, finding any
kind of clothes in the right size was a real problem,'' said
Rebelatto, herself a size 10.
''And I thought, 'I'm actually not even that big compared to a
lot of women out there, so if I have problems, what are they
doing?'''
Since its launch in 2010, the line has become a hit.
In brash leopard spots and flower prints not meant for
wallflowers, the label's 14 bikini styles aren't what ou'd
normally associate with plus-size swimsuits. The necklines
plunge dramatically. Straps are mere strings.
And while the bottoms provide too much coverage to qualify for
the famed ''fio dental'' or ''dental floss'' category of
Brazilian string bikinis, they're significantly more audacious
than the standard US cut.
''We're working from the principle that bigger women are just
like everyone else: They don't want to look like old ladies,
wearing these very modest, very covering swimsuits in just
black,'' said Luiz Rebelatto, Clarice's son and director of
Lehona.
He said that recent publicity of the brand and several other new
swimwear lines catering to plus sizes has triggered an
overwhelming number of calls and e-mails from would-be customers.
''They're all excited and they say, 'I've been looking
everywhere for a bikini like that. Where can I get one?''' said
Rebelatto.
Lehona is currently sold exclusively at big and tall specialty
stores throughout Brazil. Its bikinis retail for about 130 reais
or US$75 ($91) - a relatively high price-point here, but
Rebelatto said sales have grown at a galloping pace, though he
did not provide any figures.
It's the same story at Acqua Rosa, a conventional swimwear label
that added a plus-size line in 2008. Now, plus-size purchases
account for more than 70 per cent of the brand's total sales,
said director Joao Macedo.
It makes sense.
For centuries, large swaths of Brazil were beset by
malnutrition, and in 1970, nearly 10 per cent of the population
in the country's poor, rural northeast region was considered
underweight, according to Brazil's national statistics institute.
But the phenomenal economic boom that has lifted tens of
millions out of poverty and into the burgeoning middle class
over the past decade has also changed the nation's once-svelte
physique: A 2010 study by the statistics institute showed that
48 per cent of adult women and 50 per cent of men are now
overweight.
In 1985, those figures were 29 per cent for women and 18 per
cent for men.
(Still, there's been no rash of plus-size male swimwear lines,
as men here wear Speedo-style suits that don't impinge on big
guts.)
Analysts attribute Brazil's rapidly widening girth to changes in
nutrition, with chips, processed meats and sugary soft drinks
replacing staples like rice, beans and vegetables.
And while the country's elite are widely known to be fitness
freaks - and also among the world's top consumers of cosmetic
surgery - those recently lifted out of poverty and manual labour
are becoming increasingly sedentary. A 2008 study showed that
barely 10 per cent of Brazilian teens and adults exercise
regularly.
Still, despite their growing numbers, not everyone is eager to
embrace ''gordinhas'' - or ''little fatties,'' as chunky women
are affectionately known here.
Many high-end bikini-makers have turned a seemingly deliberately
blind eye to the burgeoning plus-size market. Rio-based upmarket
brand Salinas, for example, offers five sizes, from extra-small
through extra-large.
But their sizing runs notoriously small and it's hard to imagine
anyone over a size 6 actually managing to fit into any of the
brand's minuscule two-pieces.
Luis Rebelatto of Lehona chalked it partially up to snobbery.
''Some brands, they don't want their image to be associated with
chunky women,'' he said. ''Only the thin, the rich and the
chic.''
While Brazilians' increasing heft is a public policy
preoccupation for the government, growth in the ranks of the
overweight population has given them increased visibility in
Brazilian society.
Extra-wide bucket seats for the obese have been installed in Sao
Paulo's metro system, and on Sunday the city will host Brazil's
first ever Miss Plus Size beauty contest.
''It used to be that people would stare at me,'' said Soares,
the voluptuous sun-worshiper on Copacabana beach. ''Now when I
come to the beach I see women who are much bigger than me - and
lots of them are wearing bikinis - so I'm not self conscious any
more.
''God makes some people thin but he made me like this,'' she
said, rubbing down the well-oiled bulge of her stomach and
thighs. ''So who am I to think that he was wrong?''
Lady Veteran
Jan 31, 2012, 12:03:24 PM1/31/12
to
On 31 Jan 2012 01:31:02 -0000, "Senor Pedro" <senor...@fatsos.com>
wrote:
It is about time. Not every one is a size 6. There are heavier women
that can look good in a bikini. I am not one of them but the ones who
can carry it off should be able to do so.
LV
--
"I rode a tank and held a general's rank
When the blitzkrieg raged and the bodies stank."
---Sympathy for the Devil-The Rolling Stones
--------------------------------------------
"Only a male compensating for his impotence
would accuse a strong woman of being a lesbian."
---Unknown
----------------------------------------------
"It's a sign of your own worth sometimes if you are
hated by the right people."
---Miles Franklin
----------------------------------------------
See the latest idiot featured on my blog!
My Blog http://ladyveteranslog.blogspot.com
---------------------------------------------
"Do you have enemies? Good. That means that you have
stood up for something,sometime in your life."
---Winston Churchill
----------------------------------------------
Remember that today's oak tree is yesterday's nut that
stood it's ground.
---Unknown
----------------------------------------------
"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living
someone else's life."
---Steve Jobs
wrote:
that can look good in a bikini. I am not one of them but the ones who
can carry it off should be able to do so.
LV
--
"I rode a tank and held a general's rank
When the blitzkrieg raged and the bodies stank."
---Sympathy for the Devil-The Rolling Stones
--------------------------------------------
"Only a male compensating for his impotence
would accuse a strong woman of being a lesbian."
---Unknown
----------------------------------------------
"It's a sign of your own worth sometimes if you are
hated by the right people."
---Miles Franklin
----------------------------------------------
See the latest idiot featured on my blog!
My Blog http://ladyveteranslog.blogspot.com
---------------------------------------------
"Do you have enemies? Good. That means that you have
stood up for something,sometime in your life."
---Winston Churchill
----------------------------------------------
Remember that today's oak tree is yesterday's nut that
stood it's ground.
---Unknown
----------------------------------------------
"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living
someone else's life."
---Steve Jobs
Chuck U. Mate
Jan 31, 2012, 12:37:00 PM1/31/12
to
Warning! Always wear ANSI approved safety goggles when reading posts by
Checkmate!
Ummm... not really.
> I am not one of them
Thanks for your honesty.
> but the ones who
> can carry it off should be able to do so.
You'd need a crane to carry it off.
--
Checkmate
KotAGoR XXXIV
Copyright © 2012
all rights reserved
Checkmate!
> I am not one of them
> but the ones who
> can carry it off should be able to do so.
--
Checkmate
KotAGoR XXXIV
Copyright © 2012
all rights reserved
Lady Veteran
Feb 1, 2012, 10:05:53 AM2/1/12
to
On Tue, 31 Jan 2012 09:37:00 -0800, "Chuck U. Mate"
<RickS...@gmail.corn> wrote:
>> >
>> It is about time. Not every one is a size 6.
>
>
>
>> There are heavier women
>> that can look good in a bikini.
>
>Ummm... not really.
>
>
>> I am not one of them
>
>Thanks for your honesty.
>
>
>> but the ones who
>> can carry it off should be able to do so.
>
>You'd need a crane to carry it off.
You want me to tell this audience how you had your ass handed to you
<RickS...@gmail.corn> wrote:
>> >
>> It is about time. Not every one is a size 6.
>
>
>
>> There are heavier women
>> that can look good in a bikini.
>
>Ummm... not really.
>
>
>> I am not one of them
>
>Thanks for your honesty.
>
>
>> but the ones who
>> can carry it off should be able to do so.
>
>You'd need a crane to carry it off.
in SSF-A?
Your opinion is not gospel and you have no right to act as though it
is.
You are a bigot and we all know how prejudice and stupidity are
linked.
Quit while you have a little dignity left, Idiot.
Rick Sabian's Canadian Assworm Zydeco Band
Feb 1, 2012, 10:12:58 AM2/1/12
to
Lady Veteran put forth the notion that...
> Your opinion is not gospel and you have no right to act as though it
> is.
>
> You are a bigot and we all know how prejudice and stupidity are
> linked.
>
> Quit while you have a little dignity left, Idiot.
>
> LV
--
Rick Sabian's Canadian Assworm Zydeco Band
>
> On Tue, 31 Jan 2012 09:37:00 -0800, "Chuck U. Mate"
> <RickS...@gmail.corn> wrote:
>
>
> >> >
> >> It is about time. Not every one is a size 6.
> >
> >
> >
> >> There are heavier women
> >> that can look good in a bikini.
> >
> >Ummm... not really.
> >
> >
> >> I am not one of them
> >
> >Thanks for your honesty.
> >
> >
> >> but the ones who
> >> can carry it off should be able to do so.
> >
> >You'd need a crane to carry it off.
>
> You want me to tell this audience how you had your ass handed to you
> in SSF-A?
Oh, PLEASE do! I apparently missed that.
> On Tue, 31 Jan 2012 09:37:00 -0800, "Chuck U. Mate"
> <RickS...@gmail.corn> wrote:
>
>
> >> >
> >> It is about time. Not every one is a size 6.
> >
> >
> >
> >> There are heavier women
> >> that can look good in a bikini.
> >
> >Ummm... not really.
> >
> >
> >> I am not one of them
> >
> >Thanks for your honesty.
> >
> >
> >> but the ones who
> >> can carry it off should be able to do so.
> >
> >You'd need a crane to carry it off.
>
> You want me to tell this audience how you had your ass handed to you
> in SSF-A?
> Your opinion is not gospel and you have no right to act as though it
> is.
>
> You are a bigot and we all know how prejudice and stupidity are
> linked.
>
> Quit while you have a little dignity left, Idiot.
>
> LV
--
Ragnar
Feb 1, 2012, 11:04:24 AM2/1/12
to
On Jan 31, 12:37 pm, "Chuck U. Mate" <RickSab...@gmail.corn> wrote:
> Warning! Always wear ANSI approved safety goggles when reading posts by
> Checkmate!
>
> First, check out what Lady Veteran said:
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> > On 31 Jan 2012 01:31:02 -0000, "Senor Pedro" <senorpe...@fatsos.com>
> Warning! Always wear ANSI approved safety goggles when reading posts by
> Checkmate!
>
> First, check out what Lady Veteran said:
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
and beauty is subjective. Not everyone likes the same flavor of ice
cream just like not everyone likes the same physical body type in a
woman. Only an idiot won't or can't recognize the obvious fact.
>
> > I am not one of them
>
> Thanks for your honesty.
>
> > but the ones who
> > can carry it off should be able to do so.
>
> You'd need a crane to carry it off.
>
Come on now Checkers; cheap shots don't exactly prove your assertions,
> > I am not one of them
>
> Thanks for your honesty.
>
> > but the ones who
> > can carry it off should be able to do so.
>
> You'd need a crane to carry it off.
>
now do they?
Ragnar
Rick Sabian's Canadian Assworm Zydeco Band
Feb 1, 2012, 11:31:12 AM2/1/12
to
Ragnar put forth the notion that...
I recognize it, but I'll be damned if I understand it.
> > > I am not one of them
> >
> > Thanks for your honesty.
> >
> > > but the ones who
> > > can carry it off should be able to do so.
> >
> > You'd need a crane to carry it off.
> >
> Come on now Checkers; cheap shots don't exactly prove your assertions,
> now do they?
>
> Ragnar
I'm Master of the Cheap Shot...
> > > I am not one of them
> >
> > Thanks for your honesty.
> >
> > > but the ones who
> > > can carry it off should be able to do so.
> >
> > You'd need a crane to carry it off.
> >
> Come on now Checkers; cheap shots don't exactly prove your assertions,
> now do they?
>
> Ragnar
Ragnar
Feb 2, 2012, 3:31:29 PM2/2/12
to
On Feb 1, 11:31 am, Rick Sabian's Canadian Assworm Zydeco Band
You don't have to understand what drives the attraction, just respect
the fact that it exists.
BTW, I'll be damned if I can understand how any guy can be attracted
to a skinny woman with small breasts and no ass but at the same time I
respect their preference. I guess that's part of the difference
between me and guys like you.
> > > > I am not one of them
>
> > > Thanks for your honesty.
>
> > > > but the ones who
> > > > can carry it off should be able to do so.
>
> > > You'd need a crane to carry it off.
>
> > Come on now Checkers; cheap shots don't exactly prove your assertions,
> > now do they?
>
> > Ragnar
>
> I'm Master of the Cheap Shot...
>
Yeah well that’s nothing to aspire to.
Ragnar
the fact that it exists.
BTW, I'll be damned if I can understand how any guy can be attracted
to a skinny woman with small breasts and no ass but at the same time I
respect their preference. I guess that's part of the difference
between me and guys like you.
> > > > I am not one of them
>
> > > Thanks for your honesty.
>
> > > > but the ones who
> > > > can carry it off should be able to do so.
>
> > > You'd need a crane to carry it off.
>
> > Come on now Checkers; cheap shots don't exactly prove your assertions,
> > now do they?
>
> > Ragnar
>
> I'm Master of the Cheap Shot...
>
Ragnar
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