All Eyes Are on Brazilian Women During the World Cup — But for All the Wrong Reasons
By Shireen Ahmed
All Eyes Are on Brazilian Women During the World Cup — But for All the Wrong Reasons
Image Credit: AP
If we were to believe the advertising around the World Cup, we'd think that soccer is a man's game.
In a series of commercials for Kia, Brazilian model Adriana Lima seductively convinces men to watch the tournament. In one scene, we see her drive onto a football field, to the surprise of a group of hormonal teenage boys. Lima saunters onto the field with a soccer ball, and before kicking it, she purrs, "In my country, this is called futebol."
It's advertising that's an insult to female fans and players who love soccer just as much as their male counterparts. In fact, during the last World Cup, 43% of live match viewers were women.
Image Credit: AP. A woman cheers for Brazil's team during the World Cup.
But the Kia commercial, as well as other World Cup advertisements, provides a snapshot of the stereotypes we associate with Brazilian women: sexy, beautiful, accessories to the game. Adidas came under fire in the lead-up to the tournament for T-shirts deemed offensive: One said, "Lookin' to Score in Brazil" (alongside a drawing of a smiling, bikini-clad woman), while another announced, "I heart Brazil" with the shape of the heart being the shapely buttocks of a woman in skimpy underwear.
Image Credit: Adidas.
The shirts caused an uproar, and eventually they were pulled. The tropes, unfortunately, still persist, and they're erasing the country's thriving national women's soccer team.
While women's soccer was banned until 1979, the Seleção, the Brazilian national team, are currently the most successful women's team in South Americ
By Shireen Ahmed
All Eyes Are on Brazilian Women During the World Cup — But for All the Wrong Reasons
Image Credit: AP
If we were to believe the advertising around the World Cup, we'd think that soccer is a man's game.
In a series of commercials for Kia, Brazilian model Adriana Lima seductively convinces men to watch the tournament. In one scene, we see her drive onto a football field, to the surprise of a group of hormonal teenage boys. Lima saunters onto the field with a soccer ball, and before kicking it, she purrs, "In my country, this is called futebol."
It's advertising that's an insult to female fans and players who love soccer just as much as their male counterparts. In fact, during the last World Cup, 43% of live match viewers were women.
Image Credit: AP. A woman cheers for Brazil's team during the World Cup.
But the Kia commercial, as well as other World Cup advertisements, provides a snapshot of the stereotypes we associate with Brazilian women: sexy, beautiful, accessories to the game. Adidas came under fire in the lead-up to the tournament for T-shirts deemed offensive: One said, "Lookin' to Score in Brazil" (alongside a drawing of a smiling, bikini-clad woman), while another announced, "I heart Brazil" with the shape of the heart being the shapely buttocks of a woman in skimpy underwear.
Image Credit: Adidas.
The shirts caused an uproar, and eventually they were pulled. The tropes, unfortunately, still persist, and they're erasing the country's thriving national women's soccer team.
While women's soccer was banned until 1979, the Seleção, the Brazilian national team, are currently the most successful women's team in South Americ
