Being Fat in Benin

Hearing the word fat instantly makes me shrink. When I entered Benin peace corps gave us a very big training on culture but they failed to mention that bodies would be commented on a lot.

this topic and mention of body image and mental health

As an American and a woman I know that talking about weight and size is taboo. This is something that challenged me a lot in Benin.

One if the first interactions I had after returning home from my first vacation was "wow Emma you got fat, it's is good!" They said it with a smile and laugh. I wasn't sure how to react. I felt uncomfortable. Also to add insult to injury the word for fat in French is Gros/grosse aka it is pronounced gross and it sounds very insulting to my English ears.

One note I have learned in Benin is that fat is seen as good, eating a lot means you are not sick and have food consistently. People can say oh wow you must have enjoyed yourself you are getting fat as a normal greeting. Being called thin isn't insulting but a bit negative, being fat is seen as secure. The teachers at my school tell eachother after the winter break, oh wow you must have eaten a lot and enjoyed yourselves you got fat! Saying this to a coworker would probably give me a heart attack, I can't even imagine telling a coworker this.

I teach kids adjectives in 6th grade. We teach tall short big small fat thin and more. When I ask kids to make sentences they immediate use fat. Paul is fat...Diane is fat. Teacher Emma is fat.....

My first thought is if this is a form of bullying to the students and my second thought is instantly wishing I was invisible. My counterparts tell me that fat is not insulting it is even a compliment. I go about my day like this. I debated not teaching the word at all. But it seems like something kids should know and use since it is used culturally. What do you think?

Last January I was very sick. I couldn't eat food for 4 days and I looked haggard. My relationship with food has always been complicated, remembering back in middle school when I would pawn off my lunches and breakfast to be skinny. I eventually stopped this when my family caught on but my relationship with food was strained. When I started to fix my relationship with food I couldn't tell when I was full until it was too late. It's something I struggle with but no one knows here in Benin what's inside my head. When I was sick for a prolonged time in Benin which actually happened 2-3 times people commented on my weight pointing at my neck and collarbone telling me I look sick and lost too much weight. I assured them I was sick but better now. They told me to come over and eat.

Beninese food is EXTREMELY carb heavy

These interactions were so kind but still it felt strange, usually in America someone would congratulate you for being skinny, or even saying the flu is the new diet. Here it is not the case. Being in Benin has been a challenge for my skinny friends as well as men and women consistently comment on how they need to eat more and give them more and more food. My neighbor mama DEO gave Charlie multiple plates of pate and told him to get fatter.

Benin has changed me a lot. How I view myself and my body has been challenged and reshaped. My family is very active, dad being a PE teacher and retired personal trainer. Mom going on runs often and my sister a cross country and track girl. I was always a show choir and reading girl. While my insecurities have been an ongoing battle I feel like my time in Benin has actually improved my self view. Partly due to a slightly silly fact...

At the house women, children, dad's are all basically wearing the least amount of clothes possible. Lets just chalk it up to I've seen a lot of bodies and if other women aren't shy and disgraced by their bodies why should I be?

French words of the week

Gros(se)= fat

Mince = thin

Villain = ugly

Jolie = pretty