Obesity, once considered a desirable state for Mauritanian women, has now given way to a lifestyle of healthy eating and exercising.
By Mohamed Yahya Ould Abdel Wedoud for Magharebia in Nouakchott – 16/03/10
Many Mauritanian women are turning away from traditional views of beauty to embrace a healthier, slimmer lifestyle.
Meriem Mint Sadigh is one woman who has rejected the notion that obesity is desirable. She works diligently to lose weight by exercising at the gym of a local stadium.
"I think I'm the victim of the tradition of leblouh, which was common in the past decades, and now I'm trying to avoid the health consequences of this tradition," she told Magharebia.
"There are many other women like me," she added.
Leblouh, also known as tesmin, is a traditional practice prevalent among poorer families in rural Mauritania. The tradition holds that young girls must be fattened up to speed up the process of aging, so that they can be married off and give birth at a younger age.
Older Mauritanian women still remember the pain of the leblouh process.
Fatimetou Mint Salem, 52, still recalls her mother hitting her to make her eat. The goal was to make her the fattest girl in the village, so she would be an attractive bride for her 30-year-old cousin.
"I was eating and vomiting constantly," Salem told Magharebia. "[My mother] used to teach me that it is better for women that aren't fat to die, because it would bring shame to their families."
Salem has now been diagnosed with diabetes and high blood pressure, and is determined to follow her doctor's advice to lose weight. She also vows that her daughters will not equate obesity with beauty.
"I have successfully planted these convictions in the minds of my daughters, and I hope that every mother does the same," Salem added.
Women born in the 1980s and 1990s are now the least affected by the pressure to be fat, thanks to changing Mauritanian attitudes and the infiltration of Hollywood gossip, Turkish films and Mexican serials, all of which feature tall and slim actresses.
"I like the figures of some universal series' actresses and I absolutely believe that beauty has, by far, nothing to do with fatness or size," said Ahlam Mint Babe, 21, who keeps in shape by working out regularly at several sports clubs in Nouakchott.
Social historian Ahmednah Ould Mohamed notes there has been a seismic shift in Mauritanian attitudes on obesity in recent years.
"The influence of the media, economic life, the search for fitness, keeping up with fashion – are all factors that helped convince Mauritanian women to refrain from traditional aesthetic values, based primarily on obesity," he noted.
Mauritanian men have also rejected the idea that fat women are desirable, and now understand the multitude of health risks that being overweight can bring.
"I don't like fat women because they're not suitable for this era," car salesman Diop Seidou, 40, told Magharebia, adding that obesity is a "dangerous" health hazard.
Seidou said women are no longer confined to the home and are now active members of the public sphere. "Women are partners with men in the development process, and they must be prepared for that," he said.
In a recent poll carried out by the Mauritanian organization Together for Social Welfare, 70% of Mauritanian youth said they did not like the image of fat women. A further 80% of women were found to be aware of the health risks of leblouh.
Source: Magharebia.com
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2010/03/16/feature-02.
By Mohamed Yahya Ould Abdel Wedoud for Magharebia in Nouakchott – 16/03/10
Many Mauritanian women are turning away from traditional views of beauty to embrace a healthier, slimmer lifestyle.
Meriem Mint Sadigh is one woman who has rejected the notion that obesity is desirable. She works diligently to lose weight by exercising at the gym of a local stadium.
"I think I'm the victim of the tradition of leblouh, which was common in the past decades, and now I'm trying to avoid the health consequences of this tradition," she told Magharebia.
"There are many other women like me," she added.
Leblouh, also known as tesmin, is a traditional practice prevalent among poorer families in rural Mauritania. The tradition holds that young girls must be fattened up to speed up the process of aging, so that they can be married off and give birth at a younger age.
Older Mauritanian women still remember the pain of the leblouh process.
Fatimetou Mint Salem, 52, still recalls her mother hitting her to make her eat. The goal was to make her the fattest girl in the village, so she would be an attractive bride for her 30-year-old cousin.
"I was eating and vomiting constantly," Salem told Magharebia. "[My mother] used to teach me that it is better for women that aren't fat to die, because it would bring shame to their families."
Salem has now been diagnosed with diabetes and high blood pressure, and is determined to follow her doctor's advice to lose weight. She also vows that her daughters will not equate obesity with beauty.
"I have successfully planted these convictions in the minds of my daughters, and I hope that every mother does the same," Salem added.
Women born in the 1980s and 1990s are now the least affected by the pressure to be fat, thanks to changing Mauritanian attitudes and the infiltration of Hollywood gossip, Turkish films and Mexican serials, all of which feature tall and slim actresses.
"I like the figures of some universal series' actresses and I absolutely believe that beauty has, by far, nothing to do with fatness or size," said Ahlam Mint Babe, 21, who keeps in shape by working out regularly at several sports clubs in Nouakchott.
Social historian Ahmednah Ould Mohamed notes there has been a seismic shift in Mauritanian attitudes on obesity in recent years.
"The influence of the media, economic life, the search for fitness, keeping up with fashion – are all factors that helped convince Mauritanian women to refrain from traditional aesthetic values, based primarily on obesity," he noted.
Mauritanian men have also rejected the idea that fat women are desirable, and now understand the multitude of health risks that being overweight can bring.
"I don't like fat women because they're not suitable for this era," car salesman Diop Seidou, 40, told Magharebia, adding that obesity is a "dangerous" health hazard.
Seidou said women are no longer confined to the home and are now active members of the public sphere. "Women are partners with men in the development process, and they must be prepared for that," he said.
In a recent poll carried out by the Mauritanian organization Together for Social Welfare, 70% of Mauritanian youth said they did not like the image of fat women. A further 80% of women were found to be aware of the health risks of leblouh.
Source: Magharebia.com
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2010/03/16/feature-02.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.