Few things in Brazil are as universal as flip-flops: in the absence of reliable census data, one could safely say that each of Brazil’s 213 million inhabitants owns at least one pair of the classic flip-flop — a basic, rubber, rudimentary, and comfortable shoe. Havaianas (the brand long ago became synonymous with the product) are — or were — practically a national emblem, one of those brands that everyone likes… until now.
A recent advertising campaign has sparked the fury of the far right, which has launched a boycott campaign on social media. The controversy stems from an innocent commercial in which Brazilian actress Fernanda Torres, who won a Golden Globe this year, speaks directly to viewers, telling them she doesn’t want them to start 2026 “on the right foot,” but “with both feet.” “Go all out, body and soul, from head to toe,” she says in the recording, sitting on a chair at the beach, smiling, completely unaware of the storm it was about to cause.
For supporters of former far-right president Jair Bolsonaro, giving up the “right foot” is a clear allusion to the conservative camp, yet another veiled jab at right-wing voters. The conspiracy theories weren’t confined to a handful of extremists. Federal lawmaker Eduardo Bolsonaro, the former president’s son, recorded a video throwing a pair of flip-flops in the trash and expressing his immense frustration: “I thought they were a national symbol. I’ve seen many foreigners with the little Brazilian flag on their feet, but I was wrong,” he said, crestfallen. Other lawmakers with millions of social media followers, like the young Nikolas Ferreira, also jumped on the bandwagon. Alpargatas, the company that owns Havaianas, even saw its market value drop by more than 2% due to investor fears, but recovered the following day.
The hate campaign is also tied to the ad’s star, “a leftist,” as Bolsonaro’s son warned. Torres, one of the finest actresses of her generation, has spent the past year earning praise and awards for her portrayal of Eunice Paiva in I’m Still Here, a film about the memory of Brazil’s military dictatorship. Walter Salles’ film, which won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film, was a phenomenon in the country, but for the most hardline segment of the right, it is an uncomfortable mirror in which to see themselves. Torres also recently took part in demonstrations against the sentence reductions for those convicted in the January 8 attempted coup, including Jair Bolsonaro, which made her a bigger target for the far right.
In the battlefield of social media, the right seemed to be talking to itself, but when the topic spilled out of their bubble, most of Brazil responded first with bewilderment, and then with memes. Jokes about phantom enemies poured in while Havaianas gained an unprecedented, free advertising campaign. In just 48 hours, its Instagram following jumped from 4 million to 4.3 million. Alpargatas, Havaianas’ parent company, is one of Brazil’s fashion giants, with a market value of roughly $1.4 billion. The right wing is now opting to wear Ipanema, the competitor’s flip-flops. Polarization in Brazil has reached the feet: now there are left-wing flip-flops and right-wing flip-flops.
The Havaianas brand was born in 1962 and is deeply ingrained in Brazilian culture. Its flip-flop design is patented, and in the 1980s, during the inflation crisis, the government classified them as a basic product to control prices. In the 1990s, Jean Paul Gaultier first put them on the runway, and their growth has been unstoppable ever since. Today, the brand is sold around the world at prices far above those in its home country, where they can still be bought for the equivalent of $5 or $6 at any corner — from supermarkets to kiosks and pharmacies. The brand has just launched a collaboration with Dolce & Gabbana and hired Gigi Hadid as its first global ambassador. The company’s strategy, however, is to appeal to everyone. Its motto is, in fact, “Everyone wears them.” That consensus, however, now seems to be broken.
More than one analyst has tried to attribute this latest Bolsonaro fixation to the precarious state of Brazil’s far right, which is disoriented and lacking a solid narrative to rally around. The movement’s leader is imprisoned, serving a 27-year sentence for coup plotting. U.S. President Donald Trump, who for months threatened Brazil with tariffs and sanctions to try to influence Bolsonaro’s trial, has eased off and now poses smiling alongside Brazilian President Lula da Silva, who currently appears in all polls as the clear favorite to win next year’s elections. Eduardo Bolsonaro, who had moved to the U.S. to orchestrate that failed pressure campaign to save his father, has just lost his seat as a deputy. In addition to tossing those old flip-flops he no longer likes, he will also have to return his diplomatic passport.
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