Conflating wealth with wealth was the method discovered by anthropologist Michel Alcoforado, 39, to research the behavior of Brazilian millionaires and billionaires. By infiltrating the wealthiest strata of society for 15 years, with the help of well-connected friends, he sought to understand how this 0.01% of Brazilians reproduce inequality.
To get closer to his target audience, he says, he needed to lose 40 kilograms, refine his taste, subscribe to behavior magazines, memorize nicknames, invent a personal secretary, and of course buy “brown loafers, beige trousers, tortoiseshell glasses, and a dark blue jacket with gold Miami buttons.”
To discuss what it means to be wealthy in Brazil, Priscilla Camazano speaks with Michel Alcoforado, luxury anthropologist and author of “Coisa de rico” (Todavia), in Como é que é? This Monday (1st), at 6pm, live.
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