Build me up!

We are beer bottles

Dictatorship of beauty is a well known concept in western countries. The United States and Europe are, in my point of view, the icons of this modern and sad culture to glorify good-looks, leaving behind the true beauty of a fruitful mind.

But Brazil does not stand far behind. In fact, our behinds are way more advanced than other country’s. And this is not a joke, it’s a matter of national care. Here, having a perfectly shaped body that matches the common pattern of beauty may represent the only way to have a way in life.

We see beauty clinics opening and advertising everywhere, aiming to attract both the rich and the poor to a massage table or to a surgical center. Gyms pop out from nowhere and get packed everyday, no matter how much they cost. Stores specialized in selling supplementary products, like amino-acids, proteins and fat burners are easily found wherever you look. It’s not even difficult for a normal citizen to find and buy prohibited steroids in some gyms and drugstores.

There are plenty of factors that contribute to this paranoia. The main one, in my opinion, is the large influence of TV and magazine ads.

Brazilian women are definitely amongst the prettier of the world. But it’s a shame they’re treated like garbage by ourselves. Actresses are compared to beer bottles; auditorium TV shows have their peek of audience when the camera zooms almost inside of their soul; sex tourism is one of the main income activities of some cities, and nothing is done to, at least, try to cover it up a little.

And, thanks to the massive brainwash, a large quantity of women think this is ok and actually work hard to become the most desirable object of the society.

For me, the most dramatic issue of this regards young people. Not just girls, but boys too are unsatisfied with their bodies, even tough they all have no apparent reason to feel this way. Beauty treatments (even surgery) are attracting more and more teenagers to a situation that can definitely ruin their health. And nothing is being said about it.

I believe there should be a more reasonable way of creating ads, specially those made for men. If the message continues to be sent like is being sent today, maybe tomorrow no one will have brains to understand that the ad is to buy the beer, not the woman.

Heal me, please!

Amongst several problems we have here in Brazil, one that is really severe is our public health system. Hospitals have a routine of crowded rooms and halls everyday, with a huge lack of medics and medical equipment. Doctors and nurses are paid terribly low, making the level of attendance fall at lots of units. Also, some hospitals are located near what we call here “conflict zones”, zones that are poor, dominated by drug dealers and violence, which sometimes are inaccessible for doctors to reach.

For example, haemophiliacs are suffering in the entire country without receiving properly their medication. This situation started one month ago, and nothing has yet been done about it. People with liver problems also face several difficulties to receive pills, injections and care. Equipment to detect cancer is obsolete and]or not working in several hospitals. There’s a lack of bandages, surgical instruments, beds… and so on.

There’s one single issue that, as far as I know, deserves to get a good rating. I’m talking about our HIV/Aids program. Public health stations are giving regularly the pills these patients need. But, as I said, this affirmation goes as far as I know. But one point continue to lack among the STDs program: a correct and continuous distribution of condoms. People with no money to buy condoms in the drugstore will surely face difficulties to get one free.

It’s a shame when you see you homeland fellows, and yourself, so badly cared by the government. I believe our health system is one of the major anchors that leaves us parked in the third world country class. For now, if we cant take a painkiller, we go on swallowing the hope of a better day tomorrow.