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Brazilian tourism student Geisy Arruda causes big stir with little dress
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In this photo taken on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2009, student Geisy Arruda poses at her home in Sao Paulo wearing the same dress that she was expelled for wearing on campus at Bandeirante University in Sao Bernardo do Campo, Brazil. The Brazilian government sought an explanation Monday from the private university that expelled Arruda for wearing the dress to class. (AP Photo/Leticia Moreira/ Folha Imagem)
Brazil, famous for its nearly nude Carnival revelry and skimpy bikinis, is in an uproar over a tourism student’s little red dress.
Why should tourists care? The national debate on clothing and morals that the matter has prompted could have implications ranging from what is considered proper beach attire in Rio to how much flesh Samba dancers can expose.
The student, 20-year-old Geisy Arruda, was expelled from Bandeirante University near Sao Paulo after she wore a short dress to class Oct. 22. Some students reacted negatively to her attire, causing an incident which eventually led to Arruda being led from the school by police while wearing a white lab coat over the dress.
Videos soon surfaced on the Internet. Brazil is a largely Catholic country, and some see her short dress as further evidence of moral erosion, but it hardly was more revealing than the swimwear tourists and Brazilians wear routinely on beaches. Some students contend that Arruda’s provocative actions were the problem, not what she wore to class.
So far, social liberals appear to be winning the debate in Brazil. Tuesday, the university announced that it was reversing its decision to expel Arruda.
“The decision to readmit the student is not an admission of a mistake but a look at the issue from another perspective,” said Bandeirante University Assistant Rector Ellis Brown.
“I was the victim, so I intend to keep going to classes,” Arruda said. “I don’t want to cause any more problems. I only want to study.”
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