something new to feel guilty about

Plumpness and voluptuousness used to be considered not only signs of beauty in Brazil but also signs of status. Now all that is changing, reports the New York Times, and international standards of impossible-to-attain beauty—beamed across the globe via satellite TV—are wreaking havoc:

Brazil may well be the most body-conscious society in the world, but that body has always been Brazil’s confident own — not a North American or European one.

For women here that has meant having a little more flesh, distributed differently to emphasize the bottom over the top, the contours of a guitar rather than an hourglass, and most certainly not a twig. Anorexia, though long associated with wealthier industrialized countries, was an affliction all but unheard-of here.

But that was before the incursions of the Barbie aesthetic, celebrity models, satellite television and medical makeovers made it clear just how far some imported notions of beauty, desirability and health have encroached on Brazilian ideals once considered inviolate.

And now that six young Brazilian women have died of anorexia in a relatively short time, everyone is anxious and upset. Some critics accuse dark international forces of imposing their standards on poor little Brazil, but surely the truth is more interesting than that.

One academic comes through, suggesting that it’s a kind of rebellion against tyranny:

Ms. del Priore, the historian, pointed to other fundamental changes, which she said have led to a rebellion against machismo and the patriarchal structure that she believes persists here.

“This abrupt shift is a feminine decision that reflects changing roles” as women move out of the home and into the workplace, she said. “Men are still resisting and clearly prefer the rounder, fleshier type. But women want to be free and powerful, and one way to reject submission is to adopt these international standards that have nothing to do with Brazilian society.”

Interesting.