In today's American society, being "thin" is what is considered beautiful and valuable to most people. But what is the "ideal" body frame in other cultures? What are the stereotypes of body images in different cultures? What aspect of a culture makes a person think about his or her body the way they do? Is it religion? Media? Government? Ever since I can remember, body image and awareness has been a huge influence in my life as well as in my friends' lives. I must admit as an American I'm very ignorant in the sense that I think everyone shares the same ideas or concepts about body image as the United States do. Because of my sheltered views of body image, I've decided to research the women of Nigeria and their use of fattening rooms. When I first heard the term "fattening rooms" I was agape! I had never heard of such a thing in my life and was quite intrigued to learn more. I don't understand why a culture would admire overweight or obese women when it is so unhealthy. Does there body image have anything to do with their roles in society? Their food? Their places?The history of Nigeria?I've never really taken the time to explore this topic but it seems very interesting and hopefully will help broaden my views on different body types and images and why a certain image is held higher or more ideal to the people of Nigeria. By using the concept of fattening rooms as an subplot, I will try to uncover why Nigerian women have a certain body image and if it pertains to history, food, places or their roles in society.
