Brazil bans saucy postcards

Postcards showing scantily clad women alongside Rio de Janeiro’s famous landmarks have been banned under a new law in the state famed worldwide for Carnival.

The law, which went into effect yesterday, outlaws the popular cards showing Brazilian women in tiny bikinis – known as “dental floss” – together with local attractions like Copacabana Beach, Sugarloaf Mountain and the Christ the Redeemer statue.

While Brazilians widely accept skimpy bikinis and other displays of the female form, such as racy magazines, TV ads and Carnival processions, some are irritated by attempts to identify them with the country itself or to make them attractions for sexually oriented tourists.

Representative Alice Tamborindeguy introduced the bill in October, saying the “photos are risque and encourage sexual tourism.”

She said the “insistent campaign to exhibit the female form ... only degrades the image of our state and our country.”