By JULIANA BARBASSA
RIO DE JANEIRO -- Cris touches up her lipstick in the bar's dingy mirror, getting ready to work the rush hour in Vila Mimosa, Rio's bustling working-class prostitution zone. As dusk descends, bass-heavy music rattles metal tables on the sidewalk outside the bar, and shirtless men fire up smoky makeshift grills next to coolers of beer. Women in little more than thong bikinis or lingerie navigate the cobblestone streets, teetering on stiletto platform heels. Leaning against doorways and out of windows, they wait for clients, eyes glazed with boredom. The area is a beloved institution or a blight, depending on whom is asked...[continued]
