Love is…accepting – A review of ‘Love is Blind’ Brazil

I’m not ashamed to admit enjoying a healthy dose of reality television. I don’t like it all. Thankfully Love Island isn’t in my planner yet. But there are some programmes I really look forward to, and most of them revolve around love and relationships.

The Netflix series, Love is Blind, is an experiment similar to MAFS (married at first sight) but the tension at the end, where the bride and groom make a decision to commit while at the altar in front of family and friends, ramps up the sweat and anxiety.

This is a rare series where I force myself to put up with dubbing, because the Brazilian version, which is currently in a new series, is translated with a Voiceover. But who cares, love is love, right?

Not all the decisions have been aired in this series get, but that’s not the focus of this post anyway. The Brazilian version of the show displays humans as their most accepting selves with self love, affection regardless of gender, and confidence being the most visceral feeling you take away.

In other countries the couples who meet and propose without ever seeing each other, only talking via a pod, often quickly have their minds changed based on looks alone. The true meaning of love being blind is immediately lost.

But in Brazil the couples seem to truly accept each other, and themselves, based on personal values, family, religion, personality, location and then looks. A much more balanced combination than purely how good they look together on Instagram.

Watching the first of the ceremonies got me thinking – how do these cultures promote such a positive attitude towards love in all its forms?

For example, the women were all very different. Not all the identical size zero models you’d find on other series. They were all beautiful with flaws, which just made them more beautiful. They talk about themselves with enviable confidence, which just breeds more confidence. One bride said “look at me, I’m a princess”. Even as a bride I’d struggle to see anything positive in myself. Here in the U.K. we naturally see our flaws first. My fat thighs, blotchy skin, saggy belly and greying hair are the only things I’m able to see in the mirror, and I know I’m not alone. Seeing flaws in your reflection is normal over here.

The men in Brazil are the same. They show love for themselves in spades, but also love for their family and friends and they have no problem expressing that love with hugs and kisses regardless of the gender of the recipient. They share their thoughts and emotions with ease, and those feelings are discussed openly within their peer group.

I looked on Google to see if there’s a reason Brazilians are so loving. Surprisingly there is, and it’s called a ‘collectivist culture’. Groups within these cultures experience emotions outside of themselves, instead emotions are received and felt by everyone. This is where their affectionate and expressive personalities come from.

Their body positivity is reported to come from their matter of fact attitude. ‘This is me, this is how I look. I’m happy with it. I’m sexy. Im handsome’ etc etc. there’s no questions, no vague ‘i think I’m…’ thoughts. It’s black and white.

I think we’d like to believe we’re the same, but we aren’t. I don’t accept how I look because I see masses of room for improvement, but in these more accepting cultures there’s no negative branding because of cellulite or fat rolls. It’s how you sell it that really matters. If your attitude is right you’ve jumped the biggest hurdle, and that’s why their series of ‘Love is Blind’ is wholeheartedly experienced and worthy of voiceover perseverance.

For me it’s been eye opening and thought provoking enough for me to buy a bloody book about self love, and see if I can shift my own thoughts about myself to something more positive. I’m lucky I’ve already found love, but I should have loved myself first.

Sorry for being corny and thanks for reading 💜