Beauty Pageants in São Paulo

On the 12th September São Paulo will host the Miss Universe contest and the particpants are already here lapping up the city's cultural delights. This weekend they were having a flutter at the races for example:

Miss Universe Candidates at the Jockey Club in São Paulo

Most of us know that beauty contests in this part of the world are a comparatively popular event but earlier this month São Paulo hosted one that surprised me on a number of counts:

1. It was publicy funded and officially organised by the state of São Paulo government
2. It included categories such as: Mister Sorriso (best smile), Mister Timidez (shyness), ou Mister Elegância (elegance) as well as the obligatory Mr Belleza (beauty)
3. It was for retired pensioners only

I´ve never heard of an over-60 beauty contest and definitely not a state-sponsored one but here are the photos of the 2011 winners to prove it:

Sérgio Cardoso, São Paulo's best looking old man. Eutálio Francisco de Lima, 65 (Mister Beleza), Laudemiro Ribeiro de Souza, 63 (Mister Elegância), Basílio Sibove, 72 (Mister Simpatia), Cléber Gomes, 61 (Mister Sorriso) and Pedro Dutra, 90 (Mister Timidez)

And if you're wondering who the jury was, it was made up of "third age" Miss São Paulos from the previous four years...

Beauty is in the nail of the beholder

Although São Paulo itself cannot be considered a beautiful city in anything other than a metaphorical sense that doesn’t mean it’s inhabitants are not beauty conscious. This year Miss Universe is held in São Paulo, Brazil being a proud member of the top 5 all time winners list but beyond formalized beauty  contests on a day to day level it’s quite common to see people, particularly and especially women, who have made an enormous effort to look beautiful.

Particularly noticeable is the nail culture. Painted nails are everywhere and although I’m not a big fan myself it’s still impressive to see the effort put in to these intricate designs and the variety of different patterns available. Actually I am already quite used to them so I wasn’t so surprised to meet a “painted” lady the other day but when I found out what she’d done to her dog I realized there’s a whole other level to nail painting.

Check it out:

Ps. The dog, which is presumably a she, was also sprayed with perfume. Amusing and frightening in equal doses..