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5 MINUTE GUIDE: DIETS
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Obesity and wealth
Throughout history, most people have had to struggle to obtain enough food to survive. Layers of fat are not only a defence against starvation, they are a sign of wealth and privilege. So it's no wonder that obesity is valued in situations where food is scarce and populations are poor.
The nomadic people of Mauritania in north-west Africa consider big to be beautiful and see thin women as a sign of poverty. Girls are pressurised to overeat until they are obese, and those who refuse may be forced. Many are force-fed sweetened milk and millet porridge using a process called gavage – the same extreme technique used to fatten geese in the production of foie gras.
Rubens' paintings of voluptuous nude women are often cited as evidence that seventeenth century people thought fat was beautiful. Today, too, in parts of the world where famine looms large, fat women are seen as a way to display the wealth of their husbands or families.
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Rubens' paintings of voluptuous nude women are often cited as evidence that seventeenth century people thought fat was beautiful. Today, too, in parts of the world where famine looms large, fat women are seen as a way to display the wealth of their husbands or families.
Next »
