Title of Article: Women fight Mauritania's fattening tradition
Author of Article: Mohammed Yahya Abdel Wedoud
Date published: Oct. 12, 2010
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This article is about a tradition that is being questioned in Mauritania - leblouh, or force-fattening. Many mothers are forcing their young daughters to eat very large portions of fattening foods such as goats milk. The only reason is to make them more appealing to men for when they get married. Skinny girls are frowned upon as poor and undernourished. But overfeeding is taken to a new extreme. Girls are beaten and sticks are tied to their feet if they don't comply. Vomiting is considered normal. However, lately there has more of a rebellion towards this atrocity.
I think that forcing girls to overeat is awful. In the article, one woman states: " I know that some of the growing generation oppose the tradition of leblouh, but I don't care as long as I'm faithful to my cultural heritage." I disagree with this statement because I think if a tradition causes children to suffer it should be abandoned. Obesity can put the children at a higher risk for heart disease and other problems. Looking more appealing for potential husbands isn't worth all of the problems that are related to leblouh.
This event is important to the culture in Mauritania because it is a tradition that has been passed down for years. However, this tradition has evolved with time. Instead of camel milk to fatten young girls, chemicals traditionally used on animals are now used on girls. However, the essence of the cultural tradition is the same. Young girls who are fatter mean that most likely they come from a wealthier family, which can make them more appealing to potential husbands. Many mothers who were raised like this are now passing this on to their daughters.
Author of Article: Mohammed Yahya Abdel Wedoud
Date published: Oct. 12, 2010
Click here to view this article
This article is about a tradition that is being questioned in Mauritania - leblouh, or force-fattening. Many mothers are forcing their young daughters to eat very large portions of fattening foods such as goats milk. The only reason is to make them more appealing to men for when they get married. Skinny girls are frowned upon as poor and undernourished. But overfeeding is taken to a new extreme. Girls are beaten and sticks are tied to their feet if they don't comply. Vomiting is considered normal. However, lately there has more of a rebellion towards this atrocity.
I think that forcing girls to overeat is awful. In the article, one woman states: " I know that some of the growing generation oppose the tradition of leblouh, but I don't care as long as I'm faithful to my cultural heritage." I disagree with this statement because I think if a tradition causes children to suffer it should be abandoned. Obesity can put the children at a higher risk for heart disease and other problems. Looking more appealing for potential husbands isn't worth all of the problems that are related to leblouh.
This event is important to the culture in Mauritania because it is a tradition that has been passed down for years. However, this tradition has evolved with time. Instead of camel milk to fatten young girls, chemicals traditionally used on animals are now used on girls. However, the essence of the cultural tradition is the same. Young girls who are fatter mean that most likely they come from a wealthier family, which can make them more appealing to potential husbands. Many mothers who were raised like this are now passing this on to their daughters.