"Few things in Brazil are as universal as flip-flops: in the absence of reliable census data, one could safely say that each of Brazil's 213 million inhabitants owns at least one pair of the classic flip-flop a basic, rubber, rudimentary, and comfortable shoe. Havaianas (the brand long ago became synonymous with the product) are or were practically a national emblem, one of those brands that everyone likes until now."
"The controversy stems from an innocent commercial in which Brazilian actress Fernanda Torres, who won a Golden Globe this year, speaks directly to viewers, telling them she doesn't want them to start 2026 on the right foot, but with both feet. Go all out, body and soul, from head to toe, she says in the recording, sitting on a chair at the beach, smiling, completely unaware of the storm it was about to cause."
"For supporters of former far-right president Jair Bolsonaro, giving up the right foot is a clear allusion to the conservative camp, yet another veiled jab at right-wing voters. The conspiracy theories weren't confined to a handful of extremists. Federal lawmaker Eduardo Bolsonaro, the former president's son, recorded a video throwing a pair of flip-flops in the trash and expressing his immense frustration: I thought they were a national symbol."
A Havaianas advertisement featuring actress Fernanda Torres urging viewers to "start 2026... with both feet" provoked a sharp right-wing reaction in Brazil. Bolsonaro-aligned politicians and influencers framed the message as an insult to conservatives and launched boycott campaigns on social media. Federal lawmaker Eduardo Bolsonaro publicly discarded a pair of Havaianas and lamented the loss of what he called a national symbol. Other right-wing figures amplified the outrage, and the episode caused a measurable market impact for Alpargatas. The incident illustrates how commercial messaging can be read as political signaling amid intense polarization.
Read at english.elpais.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]