No one knows how to make the most of the beach as Brazilians. The beach in Brazil is simultaneously a social scene, a place to show off one's body and find inner peace. Most Brazilians living near the beach will hit the sands at least once a fortnight and they transform it into a whole social event.
Firstly, no one would be seen dead on the beach in Brazil wearing the kind of bulky swimming costumes seen in the West. The entire point of going to the beach in Brazil is to show off your body to the entire world, even if you are pushing 60. They have no sense of shame and instead enjoy and celebrate the tiniest bikinis and trunks imaginable.
For the men the speedo swimming trunks are the standard and in any given afternoon on the beach a good ten minutes should be sent standing around with your hands on your hips, swaggering about and talking loudly about the football. Guys don't use beach mats but instead sit straight down on the sand and try to pick up the Brazilian girls.
The sexy Brazilian girls just blow your mind. Especially in Rio de Janeiro, they are all obsessed with their figure and hours in the gym pay off when they drive the guys crazy on the beach. They cover themselves in as little material as possible and slap sun lotion over their bronze bodies. Then they go into the sea for a dip and return with water dripping off their toned bodies. Despite their provocative appearance nudity is generally considered quite taboo and it's rare to see a topless woman on any of the popular beaches.
The gays have their stretch of the beach, the marijuana smokers another and the dumb gringos end up with the bit of sand in front of the hotels that gets hit by thieves every time they leave their belongings untended. In Brazil no one goes for a swim without asking someone to take care of their things which provides the perfect opportunity to start up a conversation with one of the girls or guys you were eying earlier.
Brazilians spend the day on the beach drinking beer, eating nuts and melon and talking about the football or the latest telenovela. It's one of the most democratic places as apart from the designer haircuts there are precious few clues as to the wealth of the individual. No one can own the sands and so they're a free space for everyone in Brazil - something quite rare in a country that suffers from the worst distribution of wealth in the world.