Women and the eternal quest for beauty!

I was sitting at home flipping channels when I happened upon a documentary on Al Jazeera tv. It was about the practice of Gavage in Mauritania. Gavage basically means force-feeding. While the world at large strives to make women ever so thin, Mauritania has other ideas. The tradition of force feeding women and girls to make them fat thus beautiful is as old as the desert itself. Featured were two little girls who, sitting in a shed made of Mabati and fenced in with wire mesh, were being fed (forcibly) couscous and cow’s milk. These girls eat and eat and eat until they can’t eat any more, they throw up and then they eat some more all in the name of being beautiful. Other foods that girls are generally fed include millet and porridge in very very large quantities every hour or two without fail.

As a result of this practice, many women in Mauritania are overweight/obese and are at risk of heart disease, organ failure, you know the list. Despite these obvious dangers and the government’s efforts to discourage the practice very many women still practice gavage. In the city and towns where seating and eating all day is not an option, where women have jobs the alternative is drugs to boost appetite, that bloat the body or help retain water. However many of these, now banned drugs are cheap imports from India, China, etc sold right under the noses of the authorities have, as expeted, not so good effects. Women, especially those who are uneducated and/or from poor back grounds, even resort to taking drugs that are meant for animals. Even those meant for camels!!! A doctor interviewed said that they had dealt with many women who had liver failure, among other medical issues, because the drugs they took were meant for animals. The package even has the picture of goats, cows and camels.

When the father of the two girls was interviewed, he said that he was force-feeding his wife(s) and daughters because “it is a sign that your wife is well cared for and the neighbours won’t think you are poor”. It seems having a thin wife in Mauritania is in fact an admission of poverty.
Fortunately, the practice is slowly dying out and the percentage number of women and girls who are being force-fed has fallen more than 20% in the last 2-4 years especially in the metropolitan areas this however is not the case in areas further away from town and more so in the desert. There is no law that bans gavage, only laws that against practices that may harm children though there are government initiatives to educate people in the dangers of gavage.

Many women have become aware of the dangers and are taking steps to lower their weight as well as taking the decision not to force-feed their daughters. Women are seen walking regularly and some steer clear of the milk and millet that got them there in the first place.

It’s good to know that there are places especially on the continent that still appreciate the African female figure however not at the cost of the lives of these women. There are countries where a big behind is considered beautiful but again women feel it is necessary to put their lives at risk by taking and injecting drugs that are said to increase bottom size. Perhaps we should stop trying to become things that we are not and stick to what we truly are. Let’s maintain our health and leave the rest to Mother Nature and the powers that be. If you have it, flaunt it, if you don’t, flaunt it anyway. Are you really ready to risk your life to be someone else’s idea of perfection? Why don’t you look in the mirror and and say “Self, you are one hot mama!” and leave it at that. After all, the size of your bum won’t change the price of oil now will it?