CULTURE CLASH? CULTURE SHOCK? or CULTURE RIGHT?
Welcome to how things work out in the non-free world.
Oh,yeah...It's very sad and sick.
sad earth is sad.
Have you ever heard of breast ironing ? or maybe breast flattening ?
Well,it makes no sense when I first heard aboout it. I thought it was some kind of ancient tradition or culture before civilisation take place. However, in contradicts.. it actually happens before... yesterday... today...stil nowadays..even it this modern,revolutionized world.
How on earth would a mother take a burning hot pestle straight out of a fire and use it to press her daughter's breasts?
To answer all the questions above, let us first try to understand what is breast flattening.
As an introduction, breast flattening is a practice in which a heated object such as a grinding stone or pestle is used to massage or press a girl’s breasts to retard or reverse breast development. It is performed most often by the girl’s own mother, but also by a nurse or aunt, older sister, grandmother, and the girl herself. It is mostly practiced of Cameroon, South Africa where boys and men may think that girls around 10 to 12 years old whose breasts have begun to grow are attractive and sensual.
Heating pestle for breast flattening
Why would they do that?
It was said that the girl's mother is actually trying to protect her girl from sexual harassment and rape. Plus, in Cameroon breast flattening is considered a way to curb the country's skyrocketing number of teenage pregnancies, particularly high in rural areas, as well as limit the risk of sexual assault.
In easier words, it is done to prevent rape cases plus unavoidable result like an early, unwanted pregnancy that will then tarnish the family's name.
It is infuriating.Another instance where female is forced to take responsibility for male's inability or unwillingness to control themselves. When birth control primarily the female's duty.
Tools used for breast flattening include a grinding stone, a wooden pestle, a spatula or broom, a belt to tie or bind the breasts flat,napkins,stones, fruit pits, coconut shells, salt, ice, and others.
I just could not name it all.
Typically, the object will be heated in the ashes of a wood fire in the kitchen and then applied in a pressing, pounding, or massaging motion.While some women report a single treatment of heated leafs placed ceremonially the breasts, others describe a heated grinding stone used twice a day for weeks or months to crush the knot of the budding breast.
Young Cameroons' Girls.. .
So,they claimed that this practice are done in the name of tradition or culture.
Can u guys just imagine if we're in their shoes? How come that it happens to be the innocent girl faults? Why would she had took the blame and suffering when it was THE MEN,THE BOYS who should have been responsible for their actions?
Why not just poke the men's eyes out if they can't control themselves based on what they see?
There should have been any other action to be taken..should have been any other ways.
Why does Women are always the ones to be exploited?
Especially in countries where the Rights of Women are none existent. Not having rights, allows women to remain subservient and as mere pieces of property. If laws do not protect women, it spills over to health care practices, lack of autonomy, and independence
We may never know the extreme pain and hurt that these Cameroon girls have endured.
In addition, it was said that these mothers are desperate to protect their girls and we tend to forget that in so many parts of this HOPELESS world women have no control over their lives at all.
I believe that instead of putting the poor girls through this maybe they need to teach the boys how to respect women.
Just imagine if these girls are you, your sister, your cousins, your best friends?
"Not only breasts that attracts young men.Now, what will they do? Cut lips, eyes, nose?"
What is being done in Cameroon has nothing to do with beauty, but survival.
It is so irony when another parts of the world, there are young woman goes crazy in dealing with beauty inferior to the point that they will go under knife and limitless pain...just to arouse men attention and crave.
Starving to be attractive and pretty,at the same time this tragic, traumatic and helpless scream are not loud enough to be heard.
maybe I am not the right person to judge what is right and what is wrong with other's culture or tradition..but I hope that this will be an eye opening post for my fellow friends, dear readers to sometimes get outside of our comfort zone and have a little taste of how the real world are. Life is not just about fun..it is about care and share. Help others and care for the world.
Spread Love and
Peace! Thanks for Reading ^^
P/S: please have a
lots of thought,ya!
May Allah swt bless
Sources:
All pictures above are not mine.Credits to the owner.Thank You.
