The Changing Tide of Dangerous Mauritanian Beauty Ideals

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In Mauritania, it is the traditional beauty ideal for women to be obese, normally weighing between 250 and 350 pounds.  Obesity is a symbol of wealth in the country, which has faced widespread starvation throughout history. Women who are not overweight can cause an entire family to lose community respect as they appear to be poor if their women are not obese.  It is also a physical manifestation of the patriarchal nature of the society, where women are expected to be dependent on men.



In a practice called gavage, young girls drink 5 gallons of milk each day and are tortured or abused if they do not comply.  The name is taken after the practice where geese are force fed for foie gras. In a 2001 study, it was found that over 40% of Mauritanian women were overweight, 1 in 5 women between the ages of 15 and 49 had been overfed, and 70% of women did not regret it.  More young people than older people said they did not regret it, which is concerning to public health officials who have seen the effects of obesity on women through the years.


                                    

There is a significant presence of diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure in Mauritania, which inspired a slim-down campaign by the Women’s Ministry in 2003.  Television commercials and other advertisements have attempted to change the narrative surrounding obesity, emphasizing the health risks associated with obesity and trying to change the culture’s health priorities.   However, promoting healthy weights in women is easier said than done. In a country where most people live in rural locations, the campaigns face setbacks as they are unable to reach smaller communities effectively and cannot easily have effective television campaigns when a significant amount of women do not have access to television in the first place.  Changing beauty and community ideals has been a slow moving process but has undoubtedly brought attention to the problem and continues to penetrate society today.


Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/03/world/africa/03iht-mauritania.4.6472166.html

Comments

  1. Libby McFaddenMarch 1, 2019 at 7:30 AM

    I'm curious where this stimulus originated from as I haven't heard of the association between weight and wealth in any other Middle Eastern countries. Reading about young girls being tortured to drink milk in order to gain weight is interesting especially because statistics show that a proportion of these women are overfed and the whole process is overall so unhealthy for your body. I'm assuming these numbers and negative health repercussions are what changed Mauritania's course of action with their attempt to slim down Mauritanian women's average weight. Learning about these changing beauty ideals was so interesting to read yay good job!

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