"Fat Camps" in Mauritania

Fat camps in Mauritania

by: Katie, Julie, and Sheena

"The stomach flab should cascade,

the thighs should overlap, and the neck should have thick ripples of fat,"

Thank you!

Our reaction

We think that body size does not matter when it comes to beauty. However if people chose to gain weight, there are better ways to achieve this than fat camps. We think the women of Mauritania should have the choice in whether or not they want to gain weight or not.

Other

Force-feeding is not unique to this culture, however it is unique in the sense that it's purpose is to look beautiful. In other parts of the world such as Guantánamo, it is used as a method of torture.

Emotions

There are mixed emotions of this practice. Some girls believe that gaining weight is not necessarily beautiful."I don't want to be fat. I don't think it's beautiful. Now I see why some girls at school came back fat ... I love sports. I'm scared I won't be able to run fast when I'm fat.". However majority of women believe this practice will make them more beautiful and desirable to men, therefore any girls in the minority will be forced to partake in this."I suddenly saw how much Mauritanian men adore very fat women. Men told me I had the most beautiful body in town, and they fought over me.When I realized the power I had over men, I started to enjoy being fat".

"Her job will be to make and be a soft, fleshy bed for her husband to lie on"

Process

In order to achieve this body type, women and children are often sent to fat camps. These camps take place in a cramped sandstone hut deep in the Sahara Desert. Where the girls are are force fed a diet of up to 16,000 calories, consisting of goat and camel's milk, oily couscous and pure animal fat. The recommended consumption for a healthy 12-year-old girl averages 1500 calories. The leader of the fat camp will often beat or torture the girls if they refuse to eat. "I beat the girls, or torture them by squeezing a stick between their toes. I isolate them and tell them that thin women are inferior". Even Worse, if she throws up, the leader will make her eat her own vomit.

"men still find mounds of female flesh comforting and erotic"

Decoration

The people of Mauritania take part in force feeding women because they believe "rolling layers of fat are the height of sexiness". For the people of Mauritania, a fat wife was a symbol of a man's wealth, proof that he had enough riches to feed her generously while others perished in the drought-prone terrain. In these regions, most girls wed between the ages of 12 and 14. Increasing a girl's size creates the illusion that she's physically mature, that she's ready for a husband.

Mauritania

Mauritania is one a half times the size of Texas. It made up of the Sahara desert and the semiarid Sahelian zone.The most recent estimate of the population is 2.5 million people.The climate is hot and dry with frequent sandstorms. Most people engage in agriculture and livestock raising. The people in the south are settled black African farmers, whereas in the north the people have a nomadic lifestyle.