Book summary
The book, “Feeding Desire: Fatness, Beauty and Sexuality among a Saharan People” is written by Rebecca Popenoe. This book explores the traditions of the semi-nomadic Moors in the Azawagh area of the Niger basin of purposely fattening their young girls starting at an age as soon as they start growing their baby teeth. This is believed to hasten their maturity and transition to puberty, hence this practice is viewed as a way of preparation for the female for marriage. This they do by feeding them with large amounts of milk and porridge. Among the Azawagh Arabs, excessive fatness or having rolls of fat is viewed as great beauty and acts as a veil that ensures modesty as this leads to limited mobility hence the women spend most part …show more content…
Its written descriptions are wide-ranging and collaborative, hence easy to grasp. The work is evidently scholarly due to the methodology used in conveying the story. There is incorporation of speculative discussions in explanation of the nature of beauty ideals in the culture and in the review of the ideal of slimness in the Western capitalism. The book also makes use of photographs as it gives a more interactive and interesting literary form serving in understanding the real picture. The ease with which the writer develops the different literary forms to convey her message makes this book appealing to the scholars whose aim may be to use this book for studious purposes. The extensive fieldwork research done by the writer in the Azawagh basin among the Moors makes this book a consistent reference in matters pertaining physical ideals in that specific …show more content…
Hence, she is able to direct the readers thinking on different causes of thinking, changing the readers’ perspective giving them a new way of thinking about the set ideals in Western capitalism. The book is gracefully written with the transition between different topics smooth and flowing; it is an interesting and academic read. There is great importance of this book in this age where there is a growth in the Western perception of the thin body being the ideal physique especially as it is idolized in the mainstream media. Through this book, we are able to understand the different deeper reasoning in relation to body ideals and put more thought as to the relevance of a set ideal and not just to accept the standards set without analyzing
The book, “Feeding Desire: Fatness, Beauty and Sexuality among a Saharan People” is written by Rebecca Popenoe. This book explores the traditions of the semi-nomadic Moors in the Azawagh area of the Niger basin of purposely fattening their young girls starting at an age as soon as they start growing their baby teeth. This is believed to hasten their maturity and transition to puberty, hence this practice is viewed as a way of preparation for the female for marriage. This they do by feeding them with large amounts of milk and porridge. Among the Azawagh Arabs, excessive fatness or having rolls of fat is viewed as great beauty and acts as a veil that ensures modesty as this leads to limited mobility hence the women spend most part …show more content…
Its written descriptions are wide-ranging and collaborative, hence easy to grasp. The work is evidently scholarly due to the methodology used in conveying the story. There is incorporation of speculative discussions in explanation of the nature of beauty ideals in the culture and in the review of the ideal of slimness in the Western capitalism. The book also makes use of photographs as it gives a more interactive and interesting literary form serving in understanding the real picture. The ease with which the writer develops the different literary forms to convey her message makes this book appealing to the scholars whose aim may be to use this book for studious purposes. The extensive fieldwork research done by the writer in the Azawagh basin among the Moors makes this book a consistent reference in matters pertaining physical ideals in that specific …show more content…
Hence, she is able to direct the readers thinking on different causes of thinking, changing the readers’ perspective giving them a new way of thinking about the set ideals in Western capitalism. The book is gracefully written with the transition between different topics smooth and flowing; it is an interesting and academic read. There is great importance of this book in this age where there is a growth in the Western perception of the thin body being the ideal physique especially as it is idolized in the mainstream media. Through this book, we are able to understand the different deeper reasoning in relation to body ideals and put more thought as to the relevance of a set ideal and not just to accept the standards set without analyzing