Lawyers in Flip-flops!
Rio gets pretty hot this time of year. If you pop out for lunch around 12.30 you may find that your favourite restaurant, which is 10 minutes walk away, will suddenly not seem so alluring. Ten minutes walk in 38°C (100F) heat? Maybe you should just grab some rice and beans from the crappy Kilo restaurant next to work.
50°C (122°F)? Really? Like most visitors (and locals too, I suspect) I enjoy quoting these signs when telling people how hot it is in Rio. But seriously, I saw one once which said 54 and it was no more than 35. I suspect these are sun-assisted temperatures, rather than in-the-shade temperatures that are more conventionally used. (from: http://www.rafalopes.com.br/blog/)
I know what you’re thinking – 38 degrees isn’t that bad – it was as hot as that when I was in [Torremolinos/Death Valley/Timbuktu] last year for my holidays. OK tough guy, but were you wearing a full business suit at the time? Yeah, didn’t think so!
But that’s what many people here in Brazil have to deal with. I’m one of the lucky ones as I can get away with t-shirts, but I do have to wear long trousers and closed shoes. And, in my book, anything above 32°C is shorts and flip-flops weather. Until yesterday though, the lawyers were not so lucky – even in the sweltering heat of summer they had to wear shirt, tie and jacket when attending hearings or dealing with judges and notaries.
But yesterday the Brazilian Association of Lawyers (OAB) passed a resolution allowing lawyers to dispense with jacket and tie until the end of summer (21st March). A statement said that the high temperatures (regularly exceeding 35°C) were putting the well-being and health of lawyers at risk, with fainting and blood pressure problems becoming common.
Clothing at work is an interesting issue isn’t it? I hate having my feet cooped up in hot shoes all day and take every opportunity to kick my trainers off under the desk. It’s really uncomfortable and unhealthy to keep your feet hot and sweaty all day long – giving them a chance to breathe definitely stops them getting super-stinky. But how would I feel if my lawyer or airline pilot showed up wearing shorts and flip-flops?
The head of the OAB, who goes by the wonderful name of Ophir Cavalcante, acknowledged this issue by saying that this was a temporary measure and was only being enacted in Rio because of the special conditions we are experiencing. And as he put it “they will still be dressing in a dignified manner – it’s not like they’ll be going to court in board shorts”.
So how can men (because it seems to me that women don’t have such a serious problem here) get round this problem on a more permanent basis? They need to look formal and dignified, but at the same time stay cool and comfortable. I think I have found the solution…
"OK darling, I'm off to work now. I just want to check one more time - are you SURE this shorts suit look OK?"
These guys look like a lot of fun don't they? I love the way the model in the middle is laughing "I'm going to kill my frickin agent..."
**UPDATE** I just read the original NY Times article from which that last image was taken, and the guy in the middle is a real person! Kwesi Blair says “I get a lot of looks and remarks [no shit]. On the street, people are like, ‘That’s a bold move’ [what they really mean is ‘you look ridiculous’]. But, honestly, I’m just tapping into my own sense of style and sensibility and putting it out there. It’s not like I’m looking for acceptance.” He actually totally won me over with that last sentence. He’s actually laughing saying “I don’t care what you conformist fools think – I’m cool and comfortable while you’re hot and sweaty…
“The head of the OAB . . . acknowledged this issue by saying that this was a temporary measure and was only being enacted in Rio because of the special conditions we are experiencing.”
By special conditions does he mean Summer?
I would go for a more “Truman Show” solution: enclose a given area area with some sort of bubble and then keep it a constant 70 Fahrenheit.
Ha! I thought that – is this a particularly hot summer? It doesn’t seem that extreme, so surely this happens every year.
HAAHAAHAH at the comment the “real” model/person made.
But seriously…..38 degrees really is not that bad. I’m serious. Come to my neck of the woods and you’ll think 38 is cool after staying a week in the 120 F heat index and 100 percent humidity. Don’t forget there is no such thing as a breeze here in the summer (ironic, in the winter all we get is 65 Mile Per Hour winds) and their are more mosquitoes per square inch of air space than the entire human population of the world. But I like the heat, so it’s not too bad for me, But each summer there are hundreds of people who die from heat stroke in my metro area. Scary!!!
Sounds like a nice place, right?
Abracos,
Alex
Ha ha, no wonder you’re planning your escape to Brazil already!! ;) I actually quite like the heat too – I mean, I don’t enjoy being on an overcrowded bus, stuck in traffic when it’s hot, but in general I like it. I’ll happily take this hot weather in exchange for the miserable freezing cold wind and rain of home.
Tom,
We lived in Dallas in the 90’s. I worked downtown and most companies allowed their employes to wear shorts in the summer. Temperatures reached over 100F easy and often. It would Rio’s 38C fell like a cool breeze ;)
Abracos
Ray
That sounds very sensible. One of my favourite moments of the day is getting home and changing into shorts – such a relief!
And I can believe it about Rio – Cariocas are always telling me how hot it is here, but I think the relatively low humidity makes it quite bearable. I once spent a really horrible day in a city on the coast of Papua New Guinea where the humidity was so bad that we literally had to run as soon as we got out on the street because you could hardly breathe. Yeurch!
This post is amazing! I genuinely laughed at those people’s clothes (and your comments!)
Hee hee, thanks Andres – I’m not 100% sure that these shorts suits are going to catch on eh?
Regarding the street temperature signs, I rest my case…