“You’d kiss 20 people in one day!”
Livia Arbache, 28, is a lawyer in São Paulo. Brazil has been voted the best country in the world for dating‡
I think Brazilians are really open to new adventures. We like hugs, kisses and dancing together. There are so many ways to meet people here. We have carnivals, street parties and amazing beaches. During carnival, some kiss, like, 20 people in one day. It’s crazy. We say, “What you do in carnival stays in carnival.”
I normally meet the people I date in bars or at barbecues, or even at people’s houses. I’d go to a friend’s, order pizza, have some drinks, then everyone starts calling everyone and inviting them over. Suddenly you have a house full of people you don’t know. It starts with a small reunion, then you’re with a load of others having fun.
The other good thing in Brazil is that a woman can easily go and talk to a man in a bar and make the first move. You don’t need to wait. It’s not seen as unusual or negative. But often, the men come to talk to you first anyway. We like to dance, so often you start dancing, then a man comes up to you and you dance together.
Many of my friends date several men at once. I call it having a garden with lots of flowers and watering them all. Mine just has one flower at a time, and when it’s dead, I’ll plant another. But I’m quite unusual in only wanting to date one person.
Dating apps for me are strange, but in the pandemic, it’s been the only way. After chatting for a while, I’ll arrange to meet people for sunset walks. The downside is it’s less safe here for women than in Europe. I never think about how to get home from a bar abroad, but here I feel afraid to walk the streets at night and never go alone.
But in Brazil, we’re also more liberal. There’s less expectation to go down a traditional route. I want a husband, two kids and a dog, but when I’m dating, I try to just see where it goes. We’re more easy-going and don’t feel a lot of pressure. It’s best to not hurry too much and just enjoy it. The most important thing is to have fun.
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