The fatty and bulldozer sized women folk of Mauritania are now coming out of age. They are shedding their biased ethos of being bulky and putting themselves in to exercise regimen to shape and size their bodies. Though, the thousands of women living in the rural areas are yet to be convinced of the health hazards caused due to their over sized figures, the welcome trend seems to be making inroads to different parts of this desert nation.
The female obesity is a part and parcel of Mauritania culture. Feminine heaviness and masculine skinny figures are thought to be perfect matching for sexual intercourse and family reproduction. The bulkiness of women is also considered crucial to the wealth and prestige of the family. The obese brides are more sought after and rich people are willing to pay more bride fee to the family. The poets and ballads also glorify the feminine bulkiness as an epitome of beauty.
Surveys have also quite often exposed the uncanny interest among the ladies to add fat to their body even by taking hormone-increasing drugs. The practice of system of gavage or forced feeding is also prevalent in rural Mauritania. Girls are forced to drink more and more camel milk and intake butter and oil containing enormous fat. There are incidents where special sessions in the village are held to make women folk take food lashed with fat.
But, the growing awareness programme launched by the national government and supported by non-governmental organizations are paying dividend. Mauritanian women are increasingly adopting exercise practices to remain fit and shed fats. Now, they are well aware of the possible health hazards like diabetes, heart strokes, high blood pressure and other miseries. The slim-down campaign unleashed by the women’s ministry is well appreciated by the fair sex in the urban Mauritania.
However, females living in the rural and interior parts of Mauritania are yet to be reached. Overpowered by the Islamic values and the male dominated society, they have no alternative, but to abide by tribal lust for flesh and fat. There are also incidents where girls died of torture when they refused to add fat to satisfy their male folks.
Via: NY Times
