Cross-Cultural Subversion, Conformity + Social Policing – Mauritania
[Archive image of a Tunisian Jewish woman exhibiting the characteristics of traditional force-feeding ]. (n.d.). https://www.definitions.net/definition/leblouh
Overview – Socialization in Mauritanian culture (body weight).
Our cultural identities are forged from the moment we are born, and this section looks at the Mauritanians and how their cultural norms have influenced their perceptions on beauty, desirability and the way they view their own bodies. We have chosen this particular culture to illustrate the multifaceted and paradoxical nature of society’s beauty standards. With the previous section focusing on Western society’s notions of body weight and what is deemed as acceptable and desirable. According to Ouldzeidoune (2013), “Mauritania ranks number one on the list of countries that celebrate female obesity; this celebration poses human rights violations if girls are being forced against their will to fattening…” (Ouldezidoune, 2013:2).
RPReplay_Final1665485953.movThe video below illustrates why families choose to subject their children to Leblouh. Though they state it is for the sole purpose of acceptance (to "protect" the girls from being subjected to bullying). Being "fat" is considered a sign of wealth and health amongst girls, which reflects positively on the families and whoever chooses to marry them.
Why does this beauty standard exist within Mauritanian Culture?
Lorber and Martin (2007) demonstrate how society constructs our bodies by stating, “Social construction feminism singles out gender as one of the most significant factors in the transformation of physical bodies to fit cultural ideals of feminine beauty and masculine strength.” (Lorber & Martin, 2007:230). Mauritanian women do not only want to conform but have created a cultural practice out of this standard of beauty to ensure young girls as young conform to this standard. For acceptance or desirability, and to also provide young girls with the opportunity to break away from poverty-stricken situations. Which subsequently assists the family because they will have one less mouth to feed.
[Photograph of Mauritanian women sitting alongside each other]. (n.d.). https://sportsandtravel.com.sg/africa-the-bigger-the-more-beautiful/
Evidence of conformity + Social Policing
Due to being socialized to believe that their beauty lies in their weight, young girls aspire to be fat and view themselves as inadequate when they do not conform to this ideal. Subsequently, they end up subjecting themselves to Leblouh willingly in order to achieve that ideal. The images above are extracts from a documentary that illustrates this process, and a clip has also been included to demonstrate the adults perception of this standard of beauty. Conformity to this standard determines how one is regarded as a woman. Due to patriarchal notions, women do not have autonomy over their bodies because having a high body volume is linked to desirability and health.
(n.d). (1952). Woman smoking pipe with baby and ox. [.png]. Arom DRISA. https://atom.drisa.co.za/index.php/transkei-1952-woman-smoking-pipe-with-baby-and-ox
Prevalence of this standard of beauty in South African society
This practice is also seen throughout different African countries. Such as, Uganda, Tunisia, Nigeria, Kenya and even South Africa.
As a Xhosa women, my culture does perceive body weight the same way Western society does. Rather, you are encouraged to be fat due to how it is connoted to womanhood and good health. I will elaborate further on the prevalence of this standard in South Africa below.
Rearick, A. (2004). Girls dancing on a Sunday afternoon. [.png]. Langa Township, South Africa. https://amp.rfi.fr/en/culture/20220515-black-and-white-striking-images-of-south-african-townships
Prevalence of this standard of beauty in South African society, continued.
In a study conducted by Puoane et al. (2010), they aimed to understand how Black African girls in Cape Town perceived body weight. Their findings stated, "Happiness and wealth were also regarded as important factors related to fatness and these two factors were seen as a possible cause of fatness," (Puoane et al., 2010:31). Alternatively, thinness was viewed as an indication of ill-health. Though these ideas are not as heavily reinforced as they are Mauritanian society, they demonstrate socialization shapes the ideas we have regarding our own bodies. Goodman illustrates this what this concept is by stating, "Through overt and subtle messages from families, communities, schools, the media, religious and other social institutions, members of different social identify groups are taught their roles," (Goodman, 2015:5). This is a reflection of not just the subtle manipulation that takes place in order to facilitate conformity, but a reflection of how this manipulation takes place across different social institutions.
[Photograph of woman force-feeing a child ]. (n.d.). https://insidearabia.com/ancient-leblouh-tradition-endanger-lives-mauritanian-women/
Conclusion and Summary -
This section aimed to illustrate the cross-cultural beauty standards that exist within our society. Though this appears as subversion, since it does not conform to Western ideals of beauty, it is a vivid representation of how social policing and conformity can occur from a cultural context. This also demonstrates how these standards cater specifically to the main gaze, and subsequently oppress women. As seen throughout Western culture.
de Raeymaeker, J. (2009). Une femme en train d'être gavée [.png]. Musee de L'Homme. https://www.museedelhomme.fr/en/exhibition-event/i-eat-therefore-i-am
Additional Resources
More information (documentaries, articles and videos) regarding this section and the content covered, please follow the link: Conformity + Social Policing in Mauritania
This folder contains all the units of analysis that were used to collect information regarding our research topic.