What Dating Culture Is Like In Brazil
I was lucky enough to visit Brazil a few years ago and, let me tell you, they know what they’re doing down there. The food. The drinks. The vistas. The overall fun, the sexy and graceful vibe that oozes from every gorgeous resident.
I remember walking down a street in Manaus one hot night. The air was heavy and humid, but the sounds of laughter, clinking caipirinhas and raucous music wafted like waves. People were pouring out of bars and clubs, bringing their sensual dance moves and suggestive glances out onto the full sidewalks. It was crowded, but no one cared. Everyone was happy and living in the moment. Carefree yet passionate. Effortless. Tudo bom—it’s all good.
From what I could tell, that atmosphere is deeply embedded in almost every aspect of Brazilian culture, including dating. Just take a gander at some common dating trends in that exquisite country down south and see if you get what I mean. Don't get me wrong, I'm no expert in Brazilian dating culture, but here are some things I noticed from my short time there.
All About the Apps
Dating apps are a BFD in Brazil. Brazilian Tinder has one of the largest markets of users in the whole world with over 10 million people registered and one million matches per day on average. There is absolutely no stigma to finding a date online down there, and no one is shy about swiping, matching and meeting up.
Sex on the First Date
Here in the USA, sex on the first date is common but very stigmatized. Especially for women. Whether this cultural idea is a throwback to our Puritan beginnings or just the remnants of our “abstinence is best” sex education, it’s obviously antiquated.
But Brazil, like always, is super chill about doing it on date one. Go for it, or don’t—tudo bom. There are no set rules or expectations for sex either way, but there are plenty of pay-per-hour motels if Brazilian couples do decide to get it on. Seriously. We’re talking mirrored ceilings, hot tubs and bowls of condoms.
Pickup Places
Brazilians are pretty sociable people, striking up conversations with those they find attractive in bars and clubs, on the street, in coffee shops, laundromats, hair salons, on the beach… you get the idea. Men approach women and women approach men, though it's more common for men to be bold in their advances. No one is shy or skirts around the subject of sex and romance.
When It's Not All Good
The Brazilian method of easygoing yet bold dating isn’t all sexy bikinis and tanned models. Take, for example, their laissez-faire approach to timekeeping. Being late isn’t a big deal in Brazil, even being 15 or 20 minutes late to a date. The same applies to meeting for a second date.
In Brazil, singles are so up for anything that they often would prefer to keep their options open rather than commit. It takes Brazilians time to develop serious feelings and relationships, and even something as simple as booking date #2 can be a challenge.
Can We Be Tudo Bom?
What would happen if we Americans embraced the Brazilian way of romance? Would we take more risks in love? Embrace rather than hide our sexuality? It sounds pretty good to me…except for the late thing. Please be on time.