In the Western world, fashion icons and celebrities push the notion that thin is always in. However, beauty in Mauritania is held to the, “big is beautiful and stretch marks are sexy” standard. There, obesity is viewed as a sign of wealth and status. Girls are encouraged from a young age to gain weight in order to fulfill their culture’s perception of beauty.
Although the country is plagued with food shortages and droughts, Mauritanians practice the tradition of “leblouh” or “gavage” which means to “fatten up.” Girls usually begin this process as early as age 5. It is predicted that the heavier the girl, the more prospects she will have for marriage. Parents are known for being overjoyed when their daughter’s gain weight and often brag about the amount of rolls their daughters have.
During the fattening process, most girls are sent off to fat camps in the desert in which they required to eat a diet of 16,000 calories a day. The camp overseers force the girls to drink camel milk, eat multiple times a day and instruct the girls to limit their physical activities. If a girl refuses to comply with the cultural practice, they are tortured or ridiculed. Girls whose stomachs are unable to adapt to massive eating are given a concoction of pills to obtain the same result. This process is known as a “chemical gavage”, where girls are given growth hormones, contraceptives and steroid hormones to bulk up.
The practice of fattening originated centuries ago from the Moors, nomadic Muslims of Arabic and Berber stock, that make up two-thirds of the Mauritania’s population. In ancient times having a fat wife was seen as a symbol of a man’s fortune.
Mauritania’s beauty standards—manifesting in the force-feeding of young girls, child marriage, and the abuse of weight gain medications—are centuries-old. However, they are not immune to change. Information campaigns about healthy habits, the many dangers of force-feeding, and child advocacy are promising avenues for progress, especially with the assistance of religious leaders to spread positive messages in rural areas. Additional initiatives to empower women and increase literacy would help dismantle patriarchal gender relations and foster female independence. With the tenacious advocacy of women, the health and beauty of Mauritanian women can cease to be mutually exclusive.
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