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African Women:
Embracing our Bodies
BY Sandra Guobadia and Linda A. Annan
We now live in an image-crazed society, a behavior that plays a major role in our everyday lives. Women are constantly dieting to improve their outward appearances. But what some may see as an attempt to a healthier life, others consider a growing problem on how we view ourselves. The question is where do African women fit into these statistics?
Studies indicate that one third of the American population is obese and even more are overweight. This of course, is partially because we have become more immobile and eat less healthy. With the accessibility of fast-food and women being busier than in the past, it is not surprising to see waistlines expanding, though it is not an excuse for such women to be looked down upon.
In most African countries, women with thicker bodies tend to be considered healthier and sometimes even more attractive. Being slender is simply not a problem. But when images of what is considered beautiful on U.S. Television display stick thin models with very low percentages of body fat, it is a wonder if these ideals are rubbing off on African women.
Where do you fit?
To find out, Obaasema conducted a body image survey participated by African women between the ages of 18 and 26. Out of 20 participants only five women demonstrated constructive attitudes toward body image. There were a few others, about three, who fell between questionable behaviors and positive ones while a few others provided conflicting answers. About 10 women, through their responses, exhibited some alarming habits or signs of body image issues in different areas: a majority of them admitted to expressing intense fear of gaining weight or of being or feeling “fat”; some were consistently concerned with their body weight and shape, struggled with low self-esteem, and/or feelings of shame or self-hatred about their bodies. There were a few others who admitted to sometimes wearing overly baggy clothing to hide themselves from the public. Another set was more concerned about being thin than being healthy and had either used diet pills or abused laxatives to aid in weight loss, a behavior normally associated with eating disorders.
An article posted on BBC entitled, “Body Image worries hit Zulu Women, (April 2004), reported on studies presented to the British Psychological Society Conference. The piece showed that many Black South African women looked to the media for guidance on physical appearance. “Weight was traditionally regarded as a symbol of prosperity and status in rural South Africa,” the article stated. But because of the current influx of “barely there” bodies, these women had been influenced by the idea that skinny was beautiful and being full-figured was not. The article explained different reasons why the women were troubled with body image issues, and one of them was an eagerness to fit into designer clothes mostly made in smaller sizes. They also associated thinness with prettiness, thus, hoping to be more attractive to men.
Tainted minds
This same toxic notion seems to be tainting the minds of many African women living in the U.S. today. There is a rise in the number of women of color suffering from anorexia nervosa –an eating disorder where women with distorted images of themselves starve to attain the “perfect” body. Bulimia is also increasing among young women; here these individuals of normal weight engage in excessive food intake usually followed by self-induced purging to prevent weight gain. It is daunting to know that any woman would harm her body in the process of transforming it into what she views as perfect.
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