Images of obese women struggling to jog a mile or simply to walk up a flight of stairs are not uncommon sights in the United States. Obesity continues to run rampant throughout our country, an issue which has led health conscious individuals to push for reform. For many women, the idea of gaining a pound, let alone multiple pounds, can result in intense gym sessions and extreme diets. Though this may be the mentality of some American women, this is not the case for the women in Mauritania.
Mauritania is an almost forgotten African country when compared to its residing neighbors. The nation rarely makes headlines and somehow avoids the spotlight. Despite Mauritania’s down-low profile, the country is riddled with cultural problems that, if pursued in America, human rights organizations would be protesting for immediate action. To this day, the tradition of force-feeding girls at a young age is a common practice amongst those in Mauritania. The idea of fattening and plumping women is encouraged within the country, promoting obesity as the epitome of beauty.
Force-feeding women is a method that allows male figures to parade their wealth, showing to all that they are able to support their family in dearth-prone conditions. Finance is not the only reason why this habit still continues, for women are expected to “fill the man’s home.” Many men in Mauritania like and expect their women to be overweight. In an interview conducted by MSNBC, one man explained his love for heavier set women, saying, “I don’t like skinny women. I want to be able to grab her love handles. I told her (my wife) that if she loses a lot of weight, I’ll divorce her.” It might appear to be an incredulous threat, but it is a warning that such men, in fact, take seriously. Simply put, the fatter the wife, the happier the husband.
Families will begin to force-feed their daughters as early as four years old, pushing for them to consume rich and heavy foods all in one day. The menu usually consists of homemade gruel made from millet, oily couscous and gallons of either goat’s or camel’s milk. On a typical day, these girls will ingest up to 16,000 calories. The suggested number of calories for the moderately active girl around age four to intake is 1,400. Girls who are subjected to such handling must eat everything that is presented on their plate. Nothing can be left untouched.
Consequences are severe if a girl refuses to finish her meal. Beatings and physical punishments are typical. If a girl throws up after eating, she is expected to eat her vomit. Some girls are even given hunger-inducing pills that will allow them to eat more. Such drastic expectations are not only grotesque, but also lead to alarming health issues. Heartburn, fatigue, and diarrhea are just some of the side effects that these girls endure, let alone that they are at risk for diabetes, cancer, and ultimately, premature death.
The Mauritanian government has made attempts to curb force-feeding by illustrating to the public the hazards of being obese. Young girls started to read Western fashion magazines and to watch television shows that depicted thinner women, resulting in them trying to lose weight. Such efforts backfired when Mauritania’s democratic government was overthrown and replaced with a leader who was an advocate for tradition.
Though women in Mauritania have tried and are still trying to take control of their bodies, they are trapped in a culture that does not permit such undertakings. If families continue to push for this behavior, young girls may never escape from what can be easily deemed as an unhealthy environment.