Rio de Janeiro has the image of one of the world's sexiest cities, partly due to all the postcards of girls with big asses and small bikinis on the beach, and partly due to the sexy costumes and performances of the samba girls during the carnival parades. If you're looking for love or even sex in Rio it's important to understand that the tourist hype rarely has much to do with the truth.
Of course the average tourist in Rio de Janeiro doesn't work that out. Groups of single guys fly in, find a Brazilian girl on the same night and think they've arrived in Paradise. It doesn't occur to them as strange that a girl who doesn't speak English should seem so fascinated with making their intimate acquaintance within an hour of meeting them. Most of these chance encounters are carefully coordinated strategies by the local working girls who will end up emptying their wallets in one way or another.
The majority of the sex tourism is found around Copacabana and if the sight of disorientated European and American guys in their forties with Brazilian girls half their ages curled up in their laps is distasteful to you, then you're best off avoiding this neighbourhood altogether. Few Brazilian girls would want to live in Copacabana just for the sleazy reputation the neighbourhood has. If you want to meet Brazilians girls or guys then you need to head out of the tourist traps and hit the Rio nightlife.
You'll be doing yourself a favour if you make an effort to learn Portuguese. For a start you'll be able to speak to ten times as many people as before and the odds against you scoring begin to fall. In the upmarket areas like Ipanema and Leblon you'll find plenty of educated Brazilians who speak English but if you want to look llike more than just a randy tourist, Portuguese is your way to get past those awkward smile and gestures and win someone's heart. Or at least their body for the night.
In truth, Brazil is a country where people are very comfortable in their bodies and sexuality plays a key role in the culture. It's seen as a kind of a game and for many it's normal to go out and see how many people they can end up kissing in one evening. But if you do end up lip to lip with someone don't kid yourself into thinking you've found love - wait and see if they can be bothered answering your phone call the next day and if they remember your name.
If you're looking to meet the gringo hunters who speak English then you have a fair chance at the Irish bars or upmarket clubs in Ipanema; head downtown to the street parties of Lapa though and you'll stand out a lot more and have the novelty factor playing in your favour.
Girls who want to meet Brazilian guys won't have that hard a time, you just need to make proonged eye contact with someone who takes your fancy and he'll probably be over to talk to you within a minute or two. Don't be surprised if he gets quite touchy-feely quickly, Brazilian guys don't tend to have much idea of romance. Blondes will have a definite advantage and Brazilians are into girls who have an ass to shake.
Male travelers should also understand that eye contact and a smile is definitely an invitation to go and talk to Brazilian girls and not to worry about some hostile brush-off. Even if she doesn't decide to get to know you better, she will at least be friendly. Brazilian girls don't carry the same kind of defensive attitude found in the West though they will be keen to demonstrate that they're not as easy as the western media makes them out to be. At least, not within the first half an hour.