Style Comparison

Talking to Daniela, a native of Argentina, I asked her what she felt were the biggest differences between Brazilians and Argentines. She laughed and immediately eyed a group of females and simply said “the style”. We both shared a laugh as I agreed and she further went on to explain her opinion. In Argentina the people are very fashion conscious and although this has its negatives, such as encouraging bulimia and other disorders in overly self conscious females, it has made the Argentine population a very conservative and fashionable group of people.

However, the Brazilian population has a very different view of style which Daniela finds to be quite ‘ugly’. I must admit that I often agree that the Brazilian style of dress is very gaudy and quite a bit more risqué that their Southern counterparts, but I believe that the hideous platform shoes and silly abundance of spandex stretch pants only make Brazil more flamboyant and exciting.

Although I do not believe I will soon be wearing or even encouraging the majority of Brazilian fashions, I must admit that I will not be donning the Argentine style either. While one style may seem ugly to one person, the other appears very boring and heavily repeated across the society. I simply do not see how one is better than the other, but I am constantly seeing the differences.

People-watching has been my single most favorite activity on this trip. It teaches you a lot about the culture and the individuals.