i've been meaning to write this particular "wacky cultural gap" post since, literally, the first week i arrived here, but a recently released study makes the whole issue more interesting and pertinent again.
in the most recent issue of cultural anthropology, researchers from ASU did a nine-site cross cultural survey of attitudes towards weight, and found that there is an overwhelming prevalence of "fat stigma," even in cultures, like american samoa, where attitudes as recently as ten years ago were traditionally considered "fat positive." the researchers credit this to the spread of western (and particularly american) influence and images. i'll leave aside an interrogation of the researchers' methods and findings (for instance: what socio-economic class did respondents belong to?) since the full article is gated [shakes fist at a cruel god], but it certainly seems disheartening.
anyone who's lived in a western country has a pretty robust understanding of "fat stigma". the connotation of the word fat is not limited to physical size, or even physical attractiveness, but has moral implications. if you are fat, you are lazy, undisciplined, stupid, and on and on (it goes without saying that i'm not a fan of this).
so it is understandably shocking to arrive in nepal and be told how fat, or moto, you are by as diverse a group of people as (off the top of my head, from like the last couple months): your coworkers, your cab driver, your landlords, the guy at the bakery, the lady at the tailor, and random folks you've just met. and just wait until a guy you've sort of been seeing suggests you buy men's jeans if you can't find a pair that fits. it's not just about weight, either. people will tell you look beautiful, or more commonly, sick, tired, or unhappy. frank commentary on appearance is par for the social course. but it is, of course, "fat," which strikes the most alarming chord with those of us raised in western cultures, especially the states. after all, we're the nation that spawned an entire genre of mortal insult predicated on impugning the honor of one's progenitor based on their BMI.
of course, we seasoned foreigner nepal-wallahs, cultural experts that we are, tell ourselves, chuckling uncertainly and sucking in our guts, "well of course that's not a bad thing here. in their culture, it means you're happy, or rich. really, it's very flattering. heh heh."
well, sort of.
it's true that, traditionally, the nepali word that translates literally to "fat", moto, had the connotation of being happy, healthy, wealthy, and attractive. dublo means thin, but also potentially sickly or weak. but my impression is that these categories are shifting, particularly among younger generations. it's unclear to what degree nepal fits into the ASU researchers' thesis. i would say that it basically does, if at one step removed. i agree, if the basic thesis is that economic power breeds cultural power breeds changing understandings and practice, either acquiescent or resistant to the hegemony*. as a nit-picky thing though, i would say that if nepal is becoming influenced by new "westernized" norms, it is via india, and in the case of body image, especially bollywood.
for instance, the first time i came in wearing nepali clothing, my coworkers complimented me on how nice i looked, with some degree of surprise, including a couple of peer-coworkers who had reacted skeptically to my inquiries about wearing kurta when i arrived, about six months earlier.
"but you didn't think i should get one before," i said.
"well, you just...you were shaped very differently then, much differently than nepali women," he hedged.
knowing the score by this point, as well as how much weight six months of chronic diarrhea and two field trips to remote nepal will inspire, i laughed. "pretty fat then, huh?"
"oh," he said, laughing with relief, "SO fat."
we chatted more about the nepali vs. western ideals of body image, and one agreed that the "traditional" understandings of "fat" and "thin" were more or less true.
"of course," he said, "the ladies prefer to be thin."
this is maybe a bit of a throw away post, but it serves as a potential jumping off point for discussion about food security, nutrition, and public health in nepal (for instance, the growing diabetes epidmic). more importantly, it is implicated what i think are really interesting questions of "modernity," "tradition," and particularly trans-national flows of power in a country like nepal, which has seen exponential rates of social and political change in the last ten years, and shows no signs of slowing down.
*bonus: for a shockingly depoliticized and deliciously condescending view of both "traditional" and "changing" standards of beauty around the world, check out this oprah slide show.
in the most recent issue of cultural anthropology, researchers from ASU did a nine-site cross cultural survey of attitudes towards weight, and found that there is an overwhelming prevalence of "fat stigma," even in cultures, like american samoa, where attitudes as recently as ten years ago were traditionally considered "fat positive." the researchers credit this to the spread of western (and particularly american) influence and images. i'll leave aside an interrogation of the researchers' methods and findings (for instance: what socio-economic class did respondents belong to?) since the full article is gated [shakes fist at a cruel god], but it certainly seems disheartening.
anyone who's lived in a western country has a pretty robust understanding of "fat stigma". the connotation of the word fat is not limited to physical size, or even physical attractiveness, but has moral implications. if you are fat, you are lazy, undisciplined, stupid, and on and on (it goes without saying that i'm not a fan of this).
so it is understandably shocking to arrive in nepal and be told how fat, or moto, you are by as diverse a group of people as (off the top of my head, from like the last couple months): your coworkers, your cab driver, your landlords, the guy at the bakery, the lady at the tailor, and random folks you've just met. and just wait until a guy you've sort of been seeing suggests you buy men's jeans if you can't find a pair that fits. it's not just about weight, either. people will tell you look beautiful, or more commonly, sick, tired, or unhappy. frank commentary on appearance is par for the social course. but it is, of course, "fat," which strikes the most alarming chord with those of us raised in western cultures, especially the states. after all, we're the nation that spawned an entire genre of mortal insult predicated on impugning the honor of one's progenitor based on their BMI.
of course, we seasoned foreigner nepal-wallahs, cultural experts that we are, tell ourselves, chuckling uncertainly and sucking in our guts, "well of course that's not a bad thing here. in their culture, it means you're happy, or rich. really, it's very flattering. heh heh."
well, sort of.
it's true that, traditionally, the nepali word that translates literally to "fat", moto, had the connotation of being happy, healthy, wealthy, and attractive. dublo means thin, but also potentially sickly or weak. but my impression is that these categories are shifting, particularly among younger generations. it's unclear to what degree nepal fits into the ASU researchers' thesis. i would say that it basically does, if at one step removed. i agree, if the basic thesis is that economic power breeds cultural power breeds changing understandings and practice, either acquiescent or resistant to the hegemony*. as a nit-picky thing though, i would say that if nepal is becoming influenced by new "westernized" norms, it is via india, and in the case of body image, especially bollywood.
for instance, the first time i came in wearing nepali clothing, my coworkers complimented me on how nice i looked, with some degree of surprise, including a couple of peer-coworkers who had reacted skeptically to my inquiries about wearing kurta when i arrived, about six months earlier.
"but you didn't think i should get one before," i said.
"well, you just...you were shaped very differently then, much differently than nepali women," he hedged.
knowing the score by this point, as well as how much weight six months of chronic diarrhea and two field trips to remote nepal will inspire, i laughed. "pretty fat then, huh?"
"oh," he said, laughing with relief, "SO fat."
we chatted more about the nepali vs. western ideals of body image, and one agreed that the "traditional" understandings of "fat" and "thin" were more or less true.
"of course," he said, "the ladies prefer to be thin."
this is maybe a bit of a throw away post, but it serves as a potential jumping off point for discussion about food security, nutrition, and public health in nepal (for instance, the growing diabetes epidmic). more importantly, it is implicated what i think are really interesting questions of "modernity," "tradition," and particularly trans-national flows of power in a country like nepal, which has seen exponential rates of social and political change in the last ten years, and shows no signs of slowing down.
*bonus: for a shockingly depoliticized and deliciously condescending view of both "traditional" and "changing" standards of beauty around the world, check out this oprah slide show.
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