The Bigger The Better?

In Chapter 6, Cairo Nights: Dancing Sheik to Sheik, I found a very interesting difference between Middle Eastern culture and that of our nation. The view on women in Cairo is the exact opposite of the view on women in America. Here women are pushed by society to be as skinny as possible. Many people take drastic measures to loose just a few pounds. Eating disorders are everywhere, especially when it comes to celebrities. Our country is painted with pictures of rail thin models and women see them and think that it how they are suppose to look. As I thought about this more, I found it contradictory that our nation is in the top 10 most obese countries in the world. The only way I can explain this is that although 57% of American adults are overweight, the small percentage of influential individuals have affected the public so much this is the view we hold on women: the skinnier the better. I do not believe that it is men so much that are pushing for the rail thin women, I feel it is a lot of pressure and competition among women.
The view on women in Cairo is very much different. “She must be feminine, that is all,” Samy said. “Otherwise the men do not like her.” “And big,” I said. “Samy looked at me quizzically. “Big? These are not big girls.” This is a prime example of the cultural difference. The American is disgusted by the women dancing while the locals are screaming and loving it all.
“Dancer #2 looked like a fat women at a circus freak show. Fat bulged from beneath her shoulder straps and cantilevered over her low-slung skirt. Even without the midriff veil, her navel would have been obscured by rolls of
flesh. Belly dancing, it seemed, was not a slimming occupation.”
This is an Americans description of a women locals of Cairo paid to see dance. There is no explanation for the different likes and dislikes, it could be anything from what culture suggests or the influence of celebrities.
-DPD