Only because of poverty, apparently.

Seems bizarre to us, just as, I'm sure, the notion of women starving themselves so that they will be considered attractive must seem bizarre to them.

I guess I don't understand why there is this driving need to form a consensus about what is supposed to be attractive. The western ideal of twig-thin beauty with fake boobs and zero pubic hair is no stranger than the the poor force-fed Mauritanian women, and equally unnatural.

Why is it so important to both men and women that women (especially) conform to a widely held standard? It seems like it mostly comes down to whether one can afford to maintain that standard of beauty, and if the economic environment means that most poor people are thin, we want fat women in order to display our wealth, and if it means most people are fat (because of bad nutrition), we want thin women to show off how rich we are. We want them to have plastic surgery, because plastic surgery is expensive. We want someone to sculpt fake nails for them, tan them, bleach them, train them, weave in fake hair for them, and rip out their pubic hair by the roots, because those personal services are expensive.

Sorry. Kind of fed up with all the shit I hear... comments about how women look, if they aren't that totally fake ideal I just described. I could just hear the same guys commenting if they were Mauritanian: "Just open your mouth and swallow the food, you skinny, butt ugly bitch."

I guess I don't understand why there is this driving need to form a consensus about what is supposed to be attractive.

Hear, hear!

Not to diverge too much from the topic of “fat”…. But….

I think about this often - the need to define what is considered attractive/appropriate in any given society.

Not really about people per se, but what is considered to be “in” when we look at design trends, consumer items, colors of the year, style.

What is art? (and to derail, WHY art at all?) We do seem to crave “decoration/design” once we have met the most basic of needs.

What makes us label something "art" and something not? How do we define what music is pleasing? Are the drumbeats of American Natives any less lyrical than a symphony? From previous music forms, how did the symphony come into being? Who is training our ears to hear one music type as being something to appreciate? What about Rap music? Will it be the symphony of this time?

How do I know when I paint, that the work is "finished"? Maybe it is just all I can create based on art that has come before, and limited by what is available in this society. When we design a building, interior finishes are selected by trained interior designers, we have home shows so we can see the “in” style. Often, I see these and am surprised by myself when I agree that something looks much better after the re-do…. How can this be? Who/what shaped my opinion? Perhaps it’s just something so simple as the group “norm”…. but that is ever changing. Based on…..something…..

I know a group of refugees here in the US that are the most warm and gracious people – but every time I am invited to one of their gatherings, I stick out as the odd-ball. I just cannot get their ability to combine myriads of colors and patterns into one outfit! THEY are the fashionable ones at that particular moment, not me…

I agree, “I guess I don't understand why there is this driving need to form a consensus about what is supposed to be attractive.”

Starting to read the article, before your more inside, I immediately thought of foie gras. What an appalling image. Women as ducks. I should know better, because I grew up in a society that approved (but not forced, not to that level at least) plushness. It was common to hear "she/he lives the good life, hence the belly", or terms such as "love handles" for extra cushions of fat in the right places. Things have now changed too in Greece, as taz will testify, mostly due to the convenience of the processed foods and the less active lifestyle.

But at the same time, the easiness and availability of drugs, methods, diets, medical procedures etc that "help" us lose weight is sending a message out, that of, gorge as much as you want and then take this, or do that to correct it.

I am a victim of these societal norms too. Much to my dismay I recently realized that I care more about my weight gain than my dental health. And I am much stricter towards myself than I am towards other people. I could be attracted to a well-heavier man but I panic if I gain a few pounds...

Girls as young as 5 and as old as 19 had to drink up to five gallons of fat-rich camel’s or cow’s milk daily

Reading that passage nauseated me.

Just to put that figure into context, there's a famous weightlifting/weight-gain regimen called "20-Rep Squats" or "Breathing Squats" that recommends drinking one gallon a day. This recommendation is aimed at presumably much bigger adolescents and adult men. (And from what I've heard, it works very well, although people complain about the volume of milk that's involved.)

Five gallons a day for grade-school girls is just nauseating.

Mightshould: Go take a cultural anthropology class. Seriously. Go find one and sit in on it. Because that's pretty much all they talk about. Different cultures having different definitions of different things. I find it all very fascinating to think about as well.

CitrusFreak12: I've always been fascinated with cultures/societies. Started off years ago in Sociology and Demography, but ended up focusing on the artistic side. Now, that I have a bit more time, would be opportune for reading. Any suggestions are welcome.