Xuxa: The Mega-Marketing of Gender, Race, and Modernity

Rating:
Summary: Blame it on Xuxa.
Review: I bought this book because I am from Brazil and grew up watching Xuxa on TV. I was big enough (9 or 10 years old) and had parents good enough (these nice folks from Minas) not to fall into the trap of consumerism she promoted. Nevertheless, she must have had some influence on me, or I wouldn't have bought the book, right? ;)
Some of the things the author claims are true: Xuxa and her Xou were a fest of distortions of the notions of gender, race, worth, consumerism and so on. But then the author crosses the line in some aspects of the analysis, superinterpreting and forcing simbolisms that are just not believable. And, besides of that, the book some huge flaws. One, it was written at the apex of Xuxa's success. This is good in some measure, but it would be interesting to notice how her appeal has changed over time, how this, too, has passed, or even analyze how her image was affected by motherhood. Inexcusable is the fact that all sources in this author's research have the same weight. True declarations, pictures, gossips and tabloids, all the same. It's just not right to interpret "the myth" on basis of such things. And, finally, her wacky interpretations sometimes assume an unconfortable patronizing tone. Somebody from a country that gave raise to Madonna (no criticism here, I'm just talking about sexuality) and where all girls want to dress like Britney Spears shouldn't talk about another country as if our kids were supposed to be climbing trees as good noble savages. Notice, I am superinterpreting here, but I learned from the master.
Anyway, it's worth reading, but if you weren't there, please take everything - I mean, everything - with a spoonful of salt.

Rating:
Summary: Xuxa can not be blamed for all of Brazil's social problems.
Review: The book definately fills in some background information on Xuxa that most US fans do not have. However, the author has surprisingly little to say about Xuxa. Nearly every paragraph has a footnote referencing an article/interview written by someone else. This book is more of a collection of other people's comments and quotes about Xuxa (or from Xuxa) and her impact on Brazilian society. The book in many ways tries to link Xuxa with many social problems facing Brazil including: racisim, the class system, declining school attendance, illiteracy, teen pregnancy, bulimia, and the sexual exploitation of children. Wow, has she been busy! I think that Xuxa represents some "ideals" to the Brazilian society, but to almost blame her for the continuation of these problems seems a little much. I recommend the book for anyone wanting to learn more about Xuxa history (good and bad)and her rise to fame. This book is not for the average fan.

Rating:
Summary: The Only Book About The World's Most Beautiful Woman.
Review: This is the only book I ever found in English about Brazil's entertainment superstar, Xuxa, one of the most attractive human beings on earth. And you can examine the nine photos in this book to determine if that's true yourself. My fascination with Xuxa began one evening when some film clips of her were shown on television. They were advance publicity shots for her first tour into the US, and I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Yes, Xuxa has perfect Nordic features, blonde hair, and she's young, but she also has as much charisma as Marilyn Monroe or Elvis. This is expressed in every move of her body, which never seems contrived, and she has such unguarded and pure facial expressions that a man's natural reaction is to believe "here's someone who needs protection from the world." Amelia Simpson's book about Xuxa is a weirdly obsessive diatribe which uses the image of Xuxa as a lightening rod for social criticisms about whites and the free enterprise system. And while many of her cultural criticisms are actually valid, I still haven't seen anything as nutty and obsessive as this book in a long time. It reminds me of a Marxist political book I encountered years ago which ranted on about how Donald Duck and his family were tools of the Capitalist oppressors. I am no longer surprised that there are people who devote a great deal of their time to subjects they dislike, but I also suspect that Simpson interpreted Xuxa as being someone who at least achieved personal success. This might be attributed to most of the book being written while Xuxa was rocketing upward. Xuxa started on her road to fame and notoriety by appearing in soft-core porno films when she was quite young. Somehow she got caught up in a romantic relationship with Pele, the Brazilian soccer hero, and he advised her to do a children's television show while dressed as provocatively as possible. Xuxa made quite a splash when she acted on that plan, doing more films, CDs, and connecting with the most powerful politicians in her country. Her success even spilled over to other nations in South and Central America, and more importantly to her, soon caught the attention of television people in Los Angeles. There was even a Xuxa doll manufactured to compete with Barbie. Then came an abrupt decline in this woman's fortunes. Although you can sort out the complexity of the causes yourself, using this book or talking with the many Spanish speaking people who followed the adventure closer than I could, this is roughly what happened: Her program was seen most of the time on Spanish speaking television, though she also sang in Portuguese, and her ultimate goal was to establish a stronger following on the English speaking stations of mainstream America. On the English language version of her show, where she was supported by stronger speakers, she was known to say such strange things as "It time to drop a chicken." This may actually have become an intentional joke directed to her stage assistants, but it seemed to betray a faux pas conscious environment. And sometime during this highpoint of unnatural programs, which must have been embarrassing to this superstar, her comet in the US plunged to earth. Among the reminders she had once been in fashion were the many dolls in her image, but these went unsold on the toy store shelves; for in another bad decision the product was so badly made that few American consumers saw any accurate connection to her. Yes, it's a strange and sad story, but I still think of Xuxa as the world's most beautiful woman. And the hospitals she built for children attest to something especially good within her, so I curse the corruption and ignorance that kept her from reaching her goal. Now Simpson seems to be the only writer available to those of us who don't read Spanish, and it's one more indignity for the fans who wish it had all gone better.

Rating:
Summary: Puts the Xuxa phenomenon into perspective
Review: Xuxa's syndicated show on American TV may have been a flop, but this scholarly book remains an interesting study of the Brazilian entertainer. Amelia Simpson interleaves biographical information with background material on the Brazilian entertainment industry, combined with a very insightful analysis of Xuxa's incredible fame among the impoverished populations of South America. At times the writing comes across a little bit like a thesis composed by an overly earnest grad student. This has, to some extent, the odd effect of legitimizing Xuxa's appeal as transcending that of a mere pop culture icon. If anybody was truly qualified to play Evita, it is Xuxa. She was, after all, born very close to the border of Argentina.

Rating:
Summary: Puts the Xuxa phenomenon into perspective
Review: Xuxa's syndicated show on American TV may have been a flop, but this scholarly book remains an interesting study of theBrazilian entertainer. Amelia Simpson interleaves biographical information with background material on the Brazilian entertainment industry, combined with a very insightful analysis of Xuxa's incredible fame among the impoverished populations of South America. At times the writing comes across a little bit like a thesis composed by an overly earnest grad student. This has, to some extent, the odd effect of legitimizing Xuxa's appeal as transcending that of a mere pop culture icon. If anybody was truly qualified to play Evita, it is Xuxa. She was, after all, born very close to the border of Argentina.