Fattening Women Up for Marriage
by How to gain weight.
We know about the forced circumcision of young girls in Africa, about the foot-binding of girls in China and about the pressures that oblige girls in the western world to submit to torturous diets and surgery, but Mauritania has a different take on how best to churn out women deemed to be perfect: they have fat farms, not as many as a few decades ago, but they still have them. Government figures suggest that only 11% of young girls are now treated this way ….. ONLY 11%!
It seems that an abundance of flesh has long been a sign of beauty and wealth in Mauritania. No doubt this is a bit of a stereotype, but stereotypes are usually built up around fact, and the fact here seems to be that the fatter the girl, the more she will be sought after.
Obesity in a girl is understood as signifying wealth – the family can afford to eat rather well – and obesity in a married woman signifies that her husband treats her well.
It has been a long-standing tradition that if a family had a girl they wanted to marry off to a well-to-do husband they would fatten her up first, a task undertaken by specialists. Such ladies force-feed girls from as young as 7 years old, using physical coercion and punishment if necessary. They openly admit that the girls are afraid, they cry for their families and don’t want to be fattened, but the families persist so that they will end up with a rotund and eminently attractive daughter.
Times are changing however and it is openly admitted that the criteria for beauty are changing too, but is that really the point? It seems that girls will always fell obliged to comply with other people’s preferences, whether that be for a stick insect or a hippopotamus.
Anyway, what’s so wrong with wanting to marry a girl who is just simply happy?
http://www.healthmad.com/Health/Cello-Scrotum.498955
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Post CommentPsychoButterfly
On December 15, 2008 at 10:51 am
i like it …..
bjr
On December 15, 2008 at 4:53 pm
I like it.
thestickman
On December 15, 2008 at 6:31 pm
Yeah I know. I feel the same way about our western culture which almost mandates young girls to wear lipstick, nail polish and eye makeup that, -to me at least, -looks more CLOWNISH than anything. I loathe this and find it abhorrent, unattractive and actually quite repulsive. Add to this my semi-allergy or sensitivity to proximity, -I get ‘tastes’ in my mouth if trapped in an elevator with ‘made up’ women for more than a minute or two. Much longer than that, other reactions begin to occur (intense salivation, eyes burning and tearing-up, coughing, etc.) Its pretty easy to point finger and say ‘this isn’t right’ or ‘that is just sick!’ and yet OUR culture is home to things that are just as heinous and revile-able. jmho
And, nice read
Clay Hurtubise
On December 15, 2008 at 8:00 pm
Every culture has it’s quirks. It is up to the elders to teach the youngsters not to look at the trendy, but to reach inside and find what makes them happy, buck the trends!
Thanks,
Clay
Jasin
On December 16, 2008 at 2:24 am
Its sad, woman have always had to market them selves to the world to feel accepted, instead of love in the eye’s of the beholder.
Nice article.
Bo Russo
On December 16, 2008 at 10:41 am
I have heard about this before,but we do what we are taught,as for lack of knowing better.I was mortified when I found out about the Chinese foot thing a couple of weeks ago.
PerryBroderick
On December 16, 2008 at 2:18 pm
you bring up some interesting points.
eddiego65
On December 17, 2008 at 12:03 am
Weird tradition. Interesting piece!
R J Evans
On December 19, 2008 at 12:00 pm
Absolutely – your final sentiments say it all!
Thetruth
On December 30, 2008 at 4:12 pm
As badly as women have been treated, they have never gotten what they deserve, so they should be thankful.
Rask Balavoine
On December 30, 2008 at 5:39 pm
Perhaps you would like to explain that comment Thetruth?
Bob Dobbs
On August 24, 2010 at 3:41 pm
I cannot stand this Western Culture appearance either. Dressed up in clown suits with war paint on in a desperate attempt at looking attractive.
I’m one of the few men that I know that isn’t brainwashed into this false beauty. I’m constantly being mocked because I am not following suit of the masses. It’s the reason I am single. Because most women have turned so ‘yuppie with the puppie’, and it makes me vomit.
Image is everything! Why do people allow themselves to be subjugated to this brainwashing? Magazines depicting fit, strong and lean men, and skeletons that appear to be women on Maxim.
Can we be organic and natural? Enough of this cultural illusion already.
/spit
Jared P
On February 20, 2011 at 4:02 pm
I agree completely. I even wrote an article about it:
http://www.suite101.com/content/the-beauty-of-a-positive-self-image-a95730