[Dean's World] Dave Price: Eye of the Beholder

[notify at powerblogs.com]

Posted by Dave Price:
Eye of the Beholder
http://www.deanesmay.com/posts/1176838577.shtml


   In Mauritania, [1]thin is not in.

     Mint was 4 when her family began to force her to drink 14 gallons
     of camel's milk a day. When she vomited, she was beaten. If she
     refused to drink, her fingers were bent back until they touched her
     hand. Her stomach hurt so much she prayed all the animals in the
     world would die so that there would be no more milk.
     ...
     "My husband thinks I'm not fat enough," complained Zeinabou Mint
     Bilkhere, explaining that her husband found her pretty during the
     last months of her pregnancy. Since giving birth, the weight has
     dropped, however, and with it his desire for her.
     Although few women are force-fed today, many feel pressured to be
     bigger-than-average. Like many, Bilkhere has turned to a more
     scientific method of weight gain, using foreign-made
     appetite-inducing pills.

   This is interesting example of how arbitrary cultural standards for
   attractiveness can be. Personally, I've always been far more attracted
   to rail-thin women than any other body type, though I'm not sure how
   much of that is actually attributable to social conditioning and the
   Western model culture. Still, the effect of a certain profile on my
   hormonal state is fairly profound.
   Might I suggest some kind of romantic exchange program? We can send
   our Rubenesque beauties to Mauritania where they will be
   enthusiastically received by the local men, and they can ship back
   their unwanted model-thin waifs. I think, pound for pound, that's the
   best possible deal for both sides. I'll be waiting at the docks.

References

   1. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070417/ap_on_re_af/mauritania_loving_fat_2