Before starting on my endeavor to learn more about Nigerian women and their ideal body type, I figure I would ask other people questions on the matter. Before researching and reading different resources, I really had no idea about Nigerian society’s views of women. Since most of my research will be on women of Nigeria and how they use their bodies to establish themselves, I decided to only interview women. Their perception on the subject is most crucial as I will be using some of their answers to further my exploration of Nigerian Women. I will also use their answers to help compare body image from Nigerian society and compare it to our own. The following three questions were asked to ten different girls that were unaware of my research project.
-Have you ever heard or learned about Nigerian women and their use of “fattening rooms?”
-Based on your knowledge of the subject or if you have never heard of it before, can you define or explain the culture’s use of fattening rooms in your own words? If you had to guess?
-Although it is outside of American culture, what’s your personal view on the matter?
The questions I asked were quite simple and only require a few moments of each woman’s time. However, their answers helped me delve into my project with much more curiosity and vigor to learn.
Interviewee #1
“No.”
“Women go into these fattening rooms and probably eat lots of food.”
“In my culture, it’s the opposite and is praised. The thinner you are, the more beauty you have. I don’t think I would like the culture because I feel gross when I gain weight.”
Interviewee #2
“Yes.”
“A place where women go to get fat before marriage. I understand it because it’s a sign of wealth.”
“I don’t agree with it because it’s unhealthy.”
Interviewee #3
“No.”
“A dining room or kitchen where you can get fat.”
“Women gaining weight is a great idea! Women are supposed to look that way. They are trying to look healthy so they can probably bear children [in that particular society.] More power to em!”
Interviewee #4
“No.”
“Make them eat a lot….forcefully?”
“ If they are making them eat forcefully I don’t think it should be allowed. But if it’s a good thing like they are providing food for women who don’t have it, then I don’t know.”
Interviewee #5
“No.”
“Make people fat?”
“ Unless they are suffering from eating disorders, why do they have to sit and eat in their room?”
Interviewee #6
“No.”
“A room where people eat?”
“It’s a part of their culture, so I guess it’s fine with me.
Interviewee #7
“Never.”
“A place where women who are pregnant can go to nourish their babies.”
“ It’s a poor country so I could see how they want to make their babies healthy but make there are better ways.”
Interviewee #8
“Yes.”
“Rooms used to supply nourishment for people who are malnourished..but forcefully?”
“It could be good as long as it is catering to a person’s need and isn’t malicious.”
Interviewee #9
“No.”
“Initially, I thought of a place where people would take fat from an animal and make soap from it.”
“ I don’t eat meat so I wouldn’t want fat or condone it.”
Interviewee #10
“No.”
“ A room that a bunch of girls gather in who would eat a lot.”
“ I’m sure it’s bad whatever it really is.”
The responses I received really helped me think more about my topic. Eighty percent of the girls I questioned had never heard of fattening rooms and their use in Nigeria; a mere twenty percent actually knew something about it. Fifty percent of the girls didn’t really like the idea of fattening rooms from what they thought it was and twenty percent of them didn’t even really know how they felt about it. These percentages aided in my hypothesis that most people, (women in this case) are unaware of other cultures’ body images, especially in Nigeria. Because some of the girls lacked knowledge of the matter, many didn’t condone of it. The few that did know about my topic didn’t condone it either because they didn’t look at fattening rooms from a non objective perspective. Some thought it was unhealthy or didn’t find the idea of gaining weight to be attractive. These responses ultimately showed me how our culture imposes certain views on its people. Because of our own cultural views on body image, it is hard to accept or understand another culture’s perception of body image that is so different from our own. I can relate to how some of these girls answered my questions because before learning much about Nigerian women I would have answered similarly.
No comments:
Post a Comment