Xuxa (1963- ), which sounds like Shooshah, is the stage name of Maria da Graça Meneghel, a Brazilian Playboy model who became the host of her own television shows for children. She is known throughout Latin America. Anyone who was a child in Brazil in the 1980s and 1990s grew up on her.
She was beautiful and charming with an honest stage presence and a way with children. Globo, the television network she has been on for over 20 years, called her “Rainha dos Baixinhos”: Queen of the Shorties.
She was a hit in Brazil and even in Argentina and other Spanish-speaking countries. She has failed to catch on in North America.
Although she sang for children, she has had 17 number-one hit songs in Brazil. That is more than even Daniela Mercury, who is two years younger and has had “only” 14 number-one hits.
Xuxa has also been in films. Most are short and bad, but some in the early 2000s were box office hits.
Her films are mostly for children, but one was not: “Amor Estranho Amor” (1982), where she does a love scene with a 12-year-old boy. Marlene Mattos, the brains behind Xuxa’s success, bought the rights and has been able to keep it off the shelves, but not off the Internet – something that no one thought of in 1982.
Xuxa broke with Mattos in 2002. Her success since has been mixed. She still has a show, but in the 2000s most of her success has come from her films and from putting her old shows out on disc. She has sold over 18 million, a huge number.
She is rich, more than half as rich as the queen of England. In 1991 no entertainer in Latin America made more money.
Before she was on television she was a model. In 1980 no model in Brazil was in more demand. By 1982 she was in Brazilian Playboy. She was discovered when she was 15 when a man noticed her blue eyes and followed her home. He told her she should be a model and set up a test shoot for her. A year later she was on her first magazine cover.
She has blue eyes, white skin, nearly white hair and great legs. She is Polish by blood, though she is part German and Austrian too.
She was born in Santa Rosa, way to the south, the youngest of five children. “Xuxa” is what they called her even then. When she was seven her family moved to Rio, where she has lived ever since.
She lives in the Casa Rosa (“Pink House”) with her daughter Sasha. When Sasha was born in 1998 the evening news spent ten minutes on it! She has never married, unless you count Globo.
She was once the girlfriend of Pele, the great footballer. He helped her to get started in acting. She gave him six years of her life; he gave her two pages in his book.
See also:
Hi Xu.
I do need you.
LikeLike
LOL
LikeLike
Abagond… been reading through a lot of your threads. Seems like you have more posts about or related to Brazil than I previously realized.
Never understood Xuxa! (to me, she was just another “interesseira”.)
LikeLike
One thing that should be stated is that, she had her show with about 10 dancer helpers who were called “paquitas”
They were all blond
Kind of ridiculas considering how Brazil really looks
I consider her show one factor in the late 80’s and 90’s as to why young black girls in Brazil could have an inferiority complex.
LikeLike
totally B.R. — I’m with you on that one. I “grew up” with Xuxa and I was always thinking, “What the hell is wrong with this place? Anybody with Blond here is considered pretty.”
Seriously, I think Brazil has changed since then, but still “suffers” from the delusion that “blond” is pretty. I know you have probably encountered the same. Many of my peers will marvel at the “gatinha loira” and I’m saying to myself, “Are you %^&&& craZY?”
Talk about a twisted dynamic: In the U.S. that girl would be fugly. You can’t fix fugly by simply putting blond hair on a person, but evidently, this is possible in Brazil.
LikeLike
ha ha , yeah, Color
Its really interesting in Salvador where the three top female singers are all white, Ivette Sangalo, Danialla Mercury, and Claudia Leite (dont like her, she even isnt from there), with just a little nod to Margereth Menezas, only because she was with David Byrne.
You know that Salvador is dripping with talented black girls
And the top respected dancers were Carla Perez and Sheila Mello from Chan
I hope its changing, when was the last time you were there in Salvador?
LikeLike
Many many years Brazil has been a country of diverse backgrounds.
My mother is white, my father is black and I gained a bit of each. I would not want to be different.
The prejudice in the minds of people “weak” anywhere in the world, not only in Brazil.
If it were not so, we might say that Michael Jackson is “painted” white only because of illness? Conversation ….
LIVE MIX!
LikeLike
Yo Gil…. Vai dar uma olhada no thread “Colourism”. Bem vindo e gostaria ver suas opinioes sobre varias temas aqui nesse Blog.
Check out the Colourism thread. I’d love to see your opinions on some of these topics. We’re pretty much just Gringos on this thread, even though I consider myself “part Brazilian”.
LikeLike
@ B.R.
Last time I was in Salvador, Bahia was around 2005. (Hard to believe.) Wife has been back a lot more and the in-laws have been here. I haven’t had the opportunity due to job loss & new work. (economy) Finally getting back on our feet here in Miami. I’m sure we’ll be hitting Salvador a lot more with the direct flights right out of Miami. (Leave in the morning, be there in time for Dinner!)
By the way: Claudia Leite is playing Miami Brazilian Day next week.
LikeLike