"Bananas is my business" and other myths

If someone described a tutti-frutti hat and platform shoes wearing, belly showing, sexy grinning, dancing woman, most people would immediately think Carmen Miranda. But if they explained a talented and witty sketch artist who used Baiana influence to lift herself through the ranks of Hollywood to become the highest taxed woman in the US in 1945, most people would have no clue who the reference was towards.

Myths surrounding Carmen Miranda’s life range from how she catapulted to fame in the US to her implied ignorance in saying “Bananas is my business.” Most myths spring from her oversexed image as the exotic, fiery Latina wearing outrageous costumes, dancing sexily and leering at men. It was a caricature that ended up masking her true talents as a singer, dancer and costume designer. Underneath the layers of fabric and high aloft those six inch platform shoes was a woman of wit, talent, and respect for Baiana culture. In obtaining a universally recognized stereotype of the sexy, exotic women of South America, we lost an amazing talent, an appreciation of culture and a realistic viewpoint on Latina women.

One of the earliest myths surrounding Carmen Miranda’s life is her supposed catapult into US stardom. Maria do Carmo Miranda da Cunha was born in Portugal on February 9, 1909 and moved to Rio de Janiero two years later. As she grew up singing and dancing, she met Almirante, a man of many talents--radio pioneer, singer, composer and folklorist--who was to become one of her closest friends and the regretful “love that got away.” Carmen and Almirante were hugely successful throughout the 30’s, performing together on stage, in films and on the radio. Her break into the US came when Lee Shubert saw her singing "O que é que a baiana tem?" in the Casino da Urca in Rio de Janeiro, and decided to bring Carmen to the US in 1939. A consistently overlooked fact was that Carmen Miranda was already a huge Brazilian film and recording star before coming to the US. She had already recorded over 300 songs when she left for New York in 1939, and had been signed with RCA since 1928.

Singing in Brazilian clubs, she created costumes for herself based on the Baiana women, the poor black women who sold fruit in Bahia, including gaudy turbans, bangles and exposed midriffs. They also wore huge circular skirts with layers and layers of fabric that can be seen in costumes from the films “Scared Stiff” and “ Greenwich Village.” These costumes would become her signature style and define how the US viewed Latina dressing.

Instead of embracing the costumes for their cultural meaning, US Hollywood executives pushed the costumes towards an outlandish, flashy, goofy exaggeration that was more a racial joke than a tribute to Brazilian culture. Consider some of the frivolous hats Miranda wore: an entire salad complete with tongs and silverware; a huge butterfly headdress with wings; a lighthouse; candy canes and lollipops; and elaborate fruit and flower arrangements. Carrying on her head the weight of stereotypes and jokes poking fun at an aspect of Brazilian women culture wasn’t easy, but Miranda did it with strength and dignity. Even in her sexually charged, exaggerated dances there is a natural and undeniable sex appeal and charm.

This combination of sex appeal and stereotype has lead to many comparisons between Carmen and Marilyn Monroe. Both were victim of mythic celebrity culture who led double lives: private and insecure inner selves contrasted by dramatic outer public persona. Both were glamorous, exploited, misunderstood and ultimately betrayed women. Both were trapped in a sexy, ditzy, bubbly charade that deeply contrasted with their private lives of isolation, drug addiction and depression. Miranda has been lucky though, as in recent years there has been a huge reconciliation with all she implied, an appreciation for her contributions in advancing and popularizing Brazilian music in the US, and an embrace of her talents as legitimate and enjoyable

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The recent reconciliation and acknowledgment of Miranda’s talents are due in large part to Helena Solberg’s documentary “Bananas Is My Business.” The documentary explores the exoticism and sensuality that characterized Miranda while pointing out how her wit, talent and perseverance were rarely brought up. It explores the famous phrase “bananas is my business” and shows that it was not a stupid, badly spoken English slipup, but rather a phrase from a self-mocking protest song in the 1940’s. It was a significant action because it confidently addressed the perceptions of being stereotyped. This phrase perfectly exemplifies the general misconceptions regarding Miranda. We hear bad broken English from a gorgeous Brazilian who can make us giggle as we watch her dance around; in reality, it is an intelligent assessment and sensitive awareness regarding her position in pop culture and the eyes of people from Brazil and the US. Miranda was fiery not only in the physical, sexual sense, but in the intellectual and business sense as well.

Not only did she work to buy out her Fox contract in 1945 so she could begin pursuing more serious roles, but in 1945 she was also the highest taxed woman in the US, earning huge sums of money for a woman, let alone a foreigner. This wealth came at a price, though. Brazilians felt Miranda ridiculed Brazil for the pleasure of US audiences and created a “vivacious, oversexed, exaggeration that served as the ideal image of Latinas,” according to Rita Moreno, Award-winning Latina actress. Even the accusations from Brazilians that Miranda had become Americanized were faced with wit and strength. She responded to these charges of a Brazilian black face act and Americanization with a song titled, “They Say I Came Back Americanized.” The next time Miranda would return to Brazil was for her widely attended funeral after a heart attack following her August 4, 1955 appearance on Jimmy Durante Show.

She has inspired Looney Toons cartoons, the Chiquita Banana logo, the progression of samba and other Brazilian forms of music, and has taught Britney Spears the importance of the midriff, Gisele the phrase "Brazilian Bombshell" and J. Lo that Latinas could be dominant multi-talented forces. Although her myth lives on through images perpetuating her sexual stereotype, her personality, the love she felt for her country, her music and the soul of samba cannot be denied. Her strength, talent, and international stardom live on in the memories of many, and overtime her myth will be dispelled, and the true talents of Carmen Miranda will be embraced and recognized.

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