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A Blog I wrote for WowOwow


Fashion + Beauty
5 Ways to Channel Gisele Bundchen And Be Brazilian Sexy
Wed Apr 7, 2010 7:29am PDT

by Martha Frankel with J Sister Janea Padilha

You know exactly who she is: the woman with the nowhere-near-perfect figure who walks into the party as if she owns it … and within seconds, she does. The rhythm-less girl next to you in dance class who is having more fun than anyone else in the room. That gal whose megawatt smile blinds you so you don’t even notice her two-inch roots. What these women have in common is that they’ve learned how to be Brazilian Sexy — which has nothing to do with a great tan or a perfect body, and everything to do with being at ease in your own skin. Here’s how to capture that spirit in a bottle:

1. Remember that you’re perfect, just the way you are. Some people look in the mirror and see every flaw, every imperfection. They can’t get past the dark circles under their eyes, or those wrinkles that they’ve worked so hard for. Instead, look in the mirror and see the good person you are, remember how loved you are, how people enjoy your company. Stop putting yourself down. There are enough people out there who are ready to do that job for you.

2. Close your eyes to the whole world. Everyone has those days — the ones where no amount of self-confidence can make you feel good. No problem. Walk out in the morning and pretend that everyone in the world is blind. Stare them right in the face, but know that they can’t see you. Laugh at your own jokes; skip when you get close to the corner. You’ll see — no one will notice. And as soon as you don’t need their approval, you’ll get it.

3. Go with the flow. In Brazil, there’s a saying: "You cannot dance rock ‘n’ roll to a samba song." That means that if you dance to the right song, your life will be easier. Instead of fighting the current, go with it. Everyone has problems, from the president to the man who cleans his garage. But if you fight those problems, you lose. Instead, you have to embrace them, eat them for breakfast, gnaw on them like they’re the most delicious things you ever tasted. You’ll figure it out. And when you get out of this problem, you’ll take a look back and be so proud of how far you’ve come and how much you’ve accomplished.

4. Cry yourself an Amazon river. When you’re feeling sad, don’t whimper and whine. No — cry yourself into a stupor. Set aside an hour, put on some sad music or a movie that makes you miserable, pour yourself a stiff drink, take out the favorite shirt of the boyfriend who left you or the husband who died, look through some pictures of your favorite vacation … and cry until your eyes are swollen shut. When the hour is up, wash your face and go on with your day. Rinse. Repeat every day until you’re not sad anymore. (You will be surprised at how quickly that happens.)

5. Just say yes, yes, yes! There’s a Brazilian expression: "You don’t know you’re hungry till you start to eat." Meaning that sometimes you don’t know what’s good for you, what it is you really need. Let’s talk about sex. Men can have sex anywhere, any time and pretty much with anyone. Women need to be wooed, enticed. But often what they need is to say "yes" instead of "no." So for a month or two, have sex with your man every time he wants it. And, of course, speak up and tell him what makes you happy. No excuses, no "maybe later." No, if he initiates it, you go with it. You embrace it. You shut off all those voices in your head and just let yourself go. What most women find is that they start looking forward to sex again, and that it gets better and better. They didn’t know they were hungry until they started to eat!