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It is simply the impression I get. Sure, some are patriotic when it comes to soccer and other international sports events. But in my view that is mostly show, while deep inside people are aware how small and insignificant their country is by modern global standards. And of course all the recent problems and the supposed solutions forced upon them by foreign know-it-all's have not helped, either.
It also shows in the way the Portuguese keep emulating and preferring things that come from abroad, as if those things were better just because they are not Portuguese. Dying one's hair blonde is just one odd symptom...
That is very true from my observations as well there is a fascination regarding the things that come from abroad and I suspect it has been always that way being that Portugal is a the periphery of Europe.
The blonde hair thing I don't think has anything to do with trying to emulate central and northern Europeans. For hundreds of years the limpieza de sangre and the inquisition played a role in Portugal and those that had light features were less suspect. I really do believe it played a role in how different phenotypes are to this day perceived by some(all sub-conscious of course). I had exposure to Portuguese people born in the nineteenth century with no exposure to television or foreigners. Portuguese people with a darker color were referred to as moreno( from the word Moor and considered far less attractive). By the way both were imported from Spain.
I don't think that is the reason today. After all, the Portuguese without such non-European ancestry were not blonde, either. Nor do modern Portuguese know and/or care about that historic absurdity.
I have also heard girls and women here speak favorably of boys or men with beautiful light eyes. It matches the reply interviewers get when asking girls or women for their favorite actors. Most of them say Brett Pitt etc. And it's not that we don't have actors here...
In my view it has to do with the exposure to movies from abroad, i.e. they are basically emulating American bimbos and movie stars.
A few years ago there was that trend from Hollywood actresses to dye only the lower half or so of their hair, and soon that could be seen here as well.
I don't think that is the reason today. After all, the Portuguese without such non-European ancestry were not blonde, either. Nor do modern Portuguese know and/or care about that historic absurdity.
I have also heard girls and women here speak favorably of boys or men with beautiful light eyes. It matches the reply interviewers get when asking girls or women for their favorite actors. Most of them say Brett Pitt etc. And it's not that we don't have actors here...
In my view it has to do with the exposure to movies from abroad, i.e. they are basically emulating American bimbos and movie stars.
A few years ago there was that trend from Hollywood actresses to dye only the lower half or so of their hair, and soon that could be seen here as well.
True very few today are even aware of it and those that are aware don't dwell on it but I do think those historical events did play a role in social conditioning in favor of certain phenotypes after all they lasted approximately 300 years and olive skinned Portuguese are still considered less attractive by some Portuguese and still referred to as moreno(a), and some people do still refer to those with long noses as a Jewish nose.
I don't agree that there is a stronger preference now for Brad Pitt types features. I consider it a good thing that there appears to be a less obvious preference. I think there was a stronger preference for light eyes and such in my great grandparents era who were not raised watching TV just based the types of things that were often said, that are seldom talked about now.
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