Brazil Carnival: Vania Flor, Plus Size Dancer, Chosen As Salgueiro School Muse

Brazil brings to mind a number of things: Beautiful women like Giselle Bunchen, Adriana Lima or Alessandra Ambrosio; and Carnival, the biggest party in the world.

Combine the two?

How about a big, beautiful woman partying around the streets of Rio?

NTDTV reports that the Salgueiro samba school has chosen plus-size dancer Vania Flor as its muse for the coming Carnival. Flor tips the scales at 230 pounds, according to Globo, and she used to struggle with her size and diets, saying that "Going to a party and not being able to eat cake or drink soda or beer was very difficult."

But Flor has learned to embrace her body, and clearly, so has the Salgueiro school.

"I am flattered to represent all of the chubby women around the world," Flor said in an interview. "I hope to encourage other people so that they can also become muses. All you need to know is how to dance samba."

Comments

[lita1071]

09:02 AM on 02/17/2012

about time, I never understood why Brazilians hid their real women. There are some beautiful (standard) women in Brazil but take it from someone who has been there most of the women walking the streets of Brazil look like this dancer and there is nothing wrong with that.

[REDSTATEREFUGEE]

01:00 PM on 02/15/2012

Anyone remember the film "Shallow Hal"?

[Spram]

05:34 PM on 02/16/2012

I wish I could see inner beauty, but I'm so shy that all I can think off when I'm "talking" to someone is "WHEN WILL IT END!!?"

But don't blame us men for liking skinny women. You women can be just as superficial as we are, if not more.

[snafu20]

10:38 AM on 02/15/2012

call the zoo, code red escape

[Staxx]

05:57 PM on 02/14/2012

Viva, la chubbs!

[Payd Troll]

03:22 PM on 02/14/2012

if she feels comfortable dancing in that small costume in public, more power to her!

[snafu20]

10:39 AM on 02/15/2012

earthquake 6.9

[MaySnyder]

01:03 PM on 02/14/2012

Good for them! It's about time people were accepted for who they are and not villifed for not fitting in a size 4. The crazy thing is that America loves to bully overweight people -- yet at least 50% of adult Americans are overweight to obese. At least she's getting off her butt and dancing, which is more than most people do. A number on the scale does not automatically mean healthy.

America is the same county where a significant % of teen girls admit to having anorexia/bulimia. I've had friends who were hospitalized from malnutrition relating to starvation, induced vomiting, and excessive use of laxatives.

America is also the same country that embraces the sickly-underweight models. Between the demand to be underweight plus the magic of photo editing, the "beautiful" women we look up to in society appear impossibly proportioned. A great clip is the Dove Evolution video: http://youtu.be/hibyAJOSW8U

[Red45]

01:53 PM on 02/14/2012

These things go on all over the world, not just in America. And, since this article is about Brazil (and not America), this would be a good starting point for a list of countries where women are treated this way.

[lita1071]

09:05 AM on 02/17/2012

This is about Brazil and not America? Hum If it is about Brazil than isn't about America.

[Leslie Diffin]

11:39 AM on 02/14/2012

Earth quake in Brazil. So all I need to do is gain a bunch of weight to dance a Samba and I'm Good? 30,000 people a year die from obesity. Excellent move making an enormous woman a focal point. Politically correct is now qualified to kill you. Like enough people aren't digging their grave with a fork and spoon. She's now happy to be a huge woman because she can eat cake and drink soda and beer. People all over the world starve while the Carnival Monument dances...

[not2 good]

10:23 PM on 02/14/2012

My mother would come up with that argument. "Eat your food. There are thousands of kids going to bed hungry". So Leslie thinks that if these ladies would stop eating cake and drink beer that there would be fewer starving people in the world. If it only was that simple.

[cosmicmom]

06:54 AM on 02/15/2012

Leslie, Leslie, Leslie, get over yourself, my dear. She's dancing, shaking that substantial booty of hers and embracing life. Good on her! She deserves accolades, not someone trying desperately to heap shame upon her and other obese folks. When I was 130 pounds heavier than I am now, I would not have had the energy to dance her dance. I'm not sure I do even now (a salsa class last week tuckered me out, but I loved it), but her joie de vivre and self-acceptance is contagious. You should try it ;-)

[Leslie Diffin]

10:43 AM on 02/15/2012

I raised healthy, nutritionally smart kids and intend that we all stay way. Enjoyment of life is a wonderful thing. We should all be so happy. Celebration by the ton, not so much. How could I heap shame on her? Shame comes from within, the same place willpower and reasonable self respect come from. If you don't care to live healthy and respect and nurture the body you are given, it's a personal choice. Don't expect people who do try to live a healthy life style to celebrate lack of self control and obvious over indulgence along with you. Self acceptance is a wonderful thing. I accepted a long time ago that my intolerance for human weakness, food addictions and gluttony are just as important as others right to practice them. Be fat, be happy by all means. Dance and enjoy life. But be realistic enough to know it's fairly obvious to the rest of us they stand out around the crowd. And on the airplane, the train, the sidewalk, the bank and the two seats they take up in many other places...

[boscobear]

09:04 AM on 02/14/2012

Can you imagine her dancing and her vast bady parts shaking-visualize it for a minute if you can-I can't.

[wwoody]

09:38 PM on 02/13/2012

Just enjoy yourself girl.

[mwa6582751]

07:43 PM on 02/13/2012

Hey, Go and get 'um, girl! Fat LIVES!!