Fat is Beauty

In American culture, being fat is taboo. The idea man or woman is slender, fit, and tone. Even with the obesity epidemic and two thirds of the population being overweight, skinny people are still seen as the most attractive. Beauty ideals are changing but not as fast as the average weight. American's struggle for weight loss is not universal however.
This video shows the tribe of the Mauritania, where fat is a symbol of beauty. Women must contain a higher percentage of body fat than men in order to bear children. In cultures where food is scarce, fat is a symbol wealth, health, and of child bearing capability. In the Mauritania, young girls are force-fed in a tradition called 'gavage.' Skinny girls are a shame and a scandal to their family. Mothers force feed their girls gallons of milk so that they can grow fat. Curvaceous women are symbols of being ideal mothers. Skinny girls to not attract husbands. Mothers use Zayar sticks to clamp the child's toes to force them to eat. The community sees this as acceptable because the mother is using the practice to ensure her child's future. Others see this as child abuse and torture.
The Mauritania do not understand the Western world's obsession with slender figures. In America, where status and power are given to the most attractive and thin women, the opposite is true for the Mauritania. The most voluptuous woman has the most power in the tribe.