today is carmen miranda's 100th birthday. she came from portugal, but was as brazilian as pelé, caipirinha and the girl from ipanema. she gave brazil a face in hollywood - or at least, she gave brazil the face that the outsiders wanted it to have: exotic, beautiful and fruity, very fruity (carmen miranda usually wore a fruitbasket for a hat).
for me she epitomizes brazil perfectly in a way, for she unites the 3 continents that make up brazil. she is after all from the old world, became famous in (latin-)america and sings music which has its origins in africa.
last sunday the boyfriend and i saw several carmens mirandas. one urged us to taste the melon around her hips, which was already conveniently opened up (indeed both at the front and at the back sides of her body.)
we also saw snow-white, a nurse and margaret thatcher. they did all have one thing in common: they were all men. the occasion: a banda de ipanema - a march of a traditional carnaval band along the beach of ipanema.
i think in the next few weeks to come i will see many carmens mirandas, both male and female.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERYKzez97lA
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