Somali girls/women negative body image

[- Femme -]

 

I'm doing a presentation about the effects of negative body image on young girls/women in my health class and I was wondering...have u heard of any cases of somali girls with anorexia/bulumia or other eating disorders or just doing extreme dieting?

 

I haven't...and maybe it's because the older generation automatically assumes someone's sick if they're too thin. My little cousin is very tall and very thin...but that's how she is naturally and people constantly ask her mother 'what is wrong with her? gabadha ma jirantahey'?. Maybe we don't have that in our community because thin isn't seen as 'beautiful'.

 

Or is it?

 

So is it worse for a girl to be too thin as opposed to too fat? Is there as much pressure for somali girls to loose weight & have the 'perfect' body in the west?

 

No this isnt my topic...but I'm interested in how this is effecting us. And since I don't live in a place with a big somali community...I have no idea.

 

[edit]. What's the prevalence of obesity in the somali community anyway? Where is the line between 'big boned & plump is sexy' to being 'too fat'? Is there no stigma for being fat I wonder? I've never seen anyone being made fun of for being fat or being outcasted...or maybe that's just my experience.

[Paragon]

Somali girls/women are simply beautiful There goes my bit of amaan dumar .

[- Femme -]

No sucking up please

[Zafir]

[edit]. What's the prevalence of obesity in the somali community anyway? Where is the line between 'big boned & plump is sexy' to being 'too fat'? Is there no stigma for being fat I wonder? I've never seen anyone being made fun of for being fat or being outcasted...or maybe that's just my experience.

Hhmmm. And how long have you had weight issues? Just Kidding..

 

Somali communities go to the extreme measures to insult and isolate Fatties . Haven’t you ever hear of the pearcing words like:

 

Shuluq

Butacoow-Baano-oyel

Waxan naaxsan

Ma qof buu cunay

Bal baruurtan eega

[Pucca]

^this would mean men only get teased about being fat??

 

i think there is a limit to the "fat is beautiful" mentality somalis have...but often its directed at the young girls. From what i see and hear..its a crime for unwed ladies to be fat. Then again being too thin is frowned upon too...

[Jacaylbaro]

I've just recalled a day when a man and extremely fat women came to my office seeking for assistance. The guy told me that the woman is producing unlimited fatness in her body even if the diet is so limited. I don't know what medically (or technically) is called but she was complaining about her weight and how it is increasing constantly as it is not managable at all.

 

She was planning to go and see doctors abroad and wanted if our organization can help. I transfered to WHO as we don't deal such cases in our program.

 

In general, i don't know why somalis find beauty in the fatness and why if the person is thin they consider him/her a sick person.

 

I know some families always argue on making their kids fat so that they'll look beautiful.

[Ibtisam]

Andromeda, I live around a large Somali community, and from what I see most girls are health and look balanced, but there are few who are extremely thin, I don't speak to them so I cannot say if they have an eating disorder or because of extreme and excessive diet.

 

In saying that I have seen a worrying trend of kids (under 13 or so) who are obese, along with their mothers, when you speak to the mothers, they say waa caaruur fat it will drop off as they grow taller etc. I think mothers in my area have a tendency to over feed their kids, and for some strange reason they think it is health for them. A lot of families have uncontrolled quantities of junk food in their homes, and kids just eat this with no monitoring.

[g.L.a.M.o.r.O.u.S]

I think watz really important is that u r healthy, who cares about wat pple think anyway. am slim n i love n am very comfortable wit my body.

[Al-Muminah]

Salaam, I am a very thin sister but somewhere in the middle (lean) and my ayeeyo, hoyoo, habaryar and every other woman I come across in my life always tell me to ''stay that way forever''. Unfortunately some women choose not to procreate because of the threat of losing their figure. :rolleyes: And a lot of Somali women fall prey to the trap of not getting their figures back. Lakiin I think that's all due to the fact that they're too busy taking care of their kids and running errands which leaves no time for them to work out. As for negative body images within our community, I feel that as a woman I am pressured to be thin. It hasn't had any detrimental effects on me alhamdulilah (bulimia, anorexia nervosa, body dysmorphia) but I think there should be support groups for those out there that are too scared to talk about issues with their bodies that they are facing. It's cultural taboo within our community to not talk about the way we feel about ourselves etc and that's probably one of the reasons why we don't see Somali bulimics, anorexics, and obese Somalis. Salaam.

[umu zakaria]

Andromeda I personally observed that all the three exist in somali communities. the last been pandemic. There could be Anorexia cases but we dont tend to seek medical help with weight issues unless it is killing us and most ppl dont know that under eating or over eating is a disorder that needs medical attension, we just assume appetiteka unbaa yar ama wayn. Most pple who are fat are bothered unlike in the old somali ages but as Muminah mentioned, it is taboo to discuss emotional issues among our selves. many pple feel they undermine themselves if they dicuss with a freind or seek professional help. I also observed that most girls are in pretty good shape until after they get kids and turn to jawaan afka laga toley, they could loose extra kgs but it is not easy. I recently had a ababy and after aan umushii ka baxay, could nt recognize myself so waxaan go aan ku gaaray inaan iska rido coz i was almost depressed, I either had to have a new wardrobe or shed off alot. I tried to get a partner and tried my neighbour who is sooo fat, she said she wont make it and I went into a local weight reduction course. I lost 8 kgs, feel much lighter and happier walaahi. Yes, a support group is good idea.

 

Good luck with ur presentation sis.

[- Femme -]

I hate it that admitting to a having a problem or seeking help is seen as 'shameful'. People are scared of what others would think of them or say behind their backs...pisses me off.

 

I also noticed that a lot of women don't return to their shape of close to it after having kids. We live on a diet of meat, subag and white flour every single day. We hardly walk anywhere and most aren't informed about good nutrition or maybe they just don't care?

 

I still have problem imaging a Somali girl suffering from an eating disorder. There may be extremes of weight but can't imagine having disorder.

 

It's sad though to think those that would have seeked help are too scared to.

[Al-Muminah]

Originally posted by Andromeda:

I hate it that admitting to a having a problem or seeking help is seen as 'shameful'. People are scared of what others would think of them or say behind their backs...pisses me off.

 

I also noticed that a lot of women don't return to their shape of close to it after having kids. We live on a diet of meat, subag and white flour every single day. We hardly walk anywhere and most aren't informed about good nutrition or maybe they just don't care?

 

I still have problem imaging a Somali girl suffering from an eating disorder. There may be extremes of weight but can't imagine having disorder.

 

It's sad though to think those that would have seeked help are too scared to.

Salaam, it is a shame that our community shuns those who speak out about their issues with their bodies or how they feel about themselves in general. Sad predicament indeed. Unfortunately gheebah is rampant within our community, and that's one of the factors of the taboo of speaking out about how you feel about yourself. Naagaha wey iska hadlaan and nobody wants to be their topic of the day maha?

 

Regarding good nutrition, a lot of Somali women take their kids to daycares for most of the day and unfortunately they're not big on nutrition that probably has to do with the obesity rate within our communities too. But like I mentioned before, a good solution to this silent problem is making a support group. Inshallah it will help those in need.