Spicy Girls

Brazzil `s Personals with a series of men seeking Brazilian women seem to have an economic dimension, but that's not all. The Anglo male has long had a fascination with the "Exotic Latina Female." Hot-blooded, she has seemingly offered spice and variety missing from the bland Anglo culture.

William Javier Nelson

"The Marriage Gradient"

"The Lure of the Exotic Latina Female"

"The Meat Market"

"Irate Letters to the Editor from Brazilian Females"

These four seemingly unrelated terms actually have a strong association. Let's start with the last one first. A while back I had noticed several irate letters from female Brazzil readers decrying the attitude and focus of the "Men-Seeking-Women" section in Brazzil's own "Classifieds/Personals" page.

Turning to the section in question (which I had previously not noticed at all), I located the source of the problem. There is habitually a much larger "Men-Seeking-Women" section than "Women-Seeking-Men". Upon reading some of the ads, I began to understand some of the concern. If I could have spoken to each of the irate females, I would have tried to console them—not with words of solace and comfort, but with words of sociology.

Social scientists dealing with marriage and the family have long noted the sociological phenomenon called the "Marriage Gradient". The term has its use in describing the tendency of men to wed women of poorer economic status. It thus also describes the tendency of women to marry men of higher economic status. Although the term has mainly been used (in the U.S.) to apply to marriages between persons of the same nationality, one can readily see how it could also pertain to marriages between Anglo men (natives of a "rich" country and thus of higher economic status) and Latina women (natives of poorer countries and thus of lower economic status). Although I am sure that numerous

Brazilians would object to this description of relative economic status of Brazil as compared to the U.S., numbers (per capita GNP, etc.) don't lie. Hence, the Brazzil want-ads soliciting "Attractive Brasileiras" could be seen to have an economic dimension. Yet it's not just economics. The Anglo male has long had a fascination with the "Exotic Latina Female." Hot-blooded, sensual and vital, the Latina has seemingly offered "spice" and "variety" evidently missing from the bland Anglo culture.

Examples from film abound—from the comic (Charo) to the dramatic (Rita Moreno) to the false (the Jewess, Natalie Wood, cast as a Latina in "West Side Story"). Actress Elpidia Carrillo scored, in the 1980s, with several film appearances in which she captivated the affections of an Anglo male. As the Anglo film culture has long been enamored with blondes, the juxtaposition between blondes and dark-haired Latinas has long made for some interesting comparisons and contrasts.

One of the most comical scenes in which Carrillo was filmed was one in which Jack Nicholson (as a U.S. Border Guard) was in a position to assist Carrillo (cast as a Mexican immigrant). The resulting interplay of jealousy, rivalry and innuendo between Carrillo and the blond Valery Perrine (cast as Nicholson's wife) was humorous, to say the least. Unfortunately for them, however, Anglo males are frequently not in positions in which to meet or encounter these "Exotic Latina Females". Residential and social segregation is the rule and not the exception in the United States.

Unless an Anglo male is in some occupation or pastime in which Latinas can be found, his chances are slim. And this just applies to "domestic" Latinas, such as Chicanas (Mexican-Americans) and Puerto Ricans living in the U.S. (many of whom are culturally "North-Americanized", and, thus, less "exotic"). The chances of meeting Latinas who are actual nationals living in countries like Brazil and Mexico are even worse.

The typical Anglo visitor to Latin America rarely goes farther than the parameters set by the tourist guide-book (sometimes, this is just as well, considering the fates which can befall the uninitiated in many localities). One can see, therefore, that want-ads seeking Latinas make sense, given the obstacles present.

One thing we have not touched upon is the reaction of Latinos to all of this attention placed on Latinas from Anglos. The "Marriage Gradient" can effectively limit the ability of a Latino to wed an Anglo—e.g., a poor Brazilian male immigrant has less attractions to an Anglo female than a person with more economic potential. As in most things dealing with Latin America, however, class is paramount. 

Stark class differences make it difficult to speak of the "typical Latino". Thus a "typical Latino reaction" to anything is something more contrived than actual. Is the typical Latino a wealthy Brazilian graduate student at UCLA or a Mexican farm laborer in North Carolina? Obviously there are more of the latter, but, as in everything else, we hear much more about what is "typical" from people like the former.

All in all, though, I would tell my fellow Latinos not to worry about Anglo attractions for Brasileiras. The great majority of Brasileiras never attain the status of girlfriend or wife of an Anglo. Brazzil's "Men-Seeking-Women" ads may well result in the establishment of some relationships, but they are interesting more for what they tell us of the interplay between Anglo and Brazilian culture than as an indicator of a stampede to the altar.

William Javier Nelson, a professor at Shaw University in the U.S., holds a Duke Ph.D. in Sociology and is of Dominican nationality. Letters (friendly or hostile, Spanish or English) can be addressed to: cibbaeno2@aol.com