A Tribe’s Fattening Room Culture and How It Affects the Women Involved
By: Yewande Adeleke
Tags: Culture, History, Writing, Africa, Tradition

A Tribe’s Fattening Room Culture and How It Affects the Women Involved

The fattening practice is prevalent amongst the Efik and Ibibio people of Cross River State, Nigeria. It is otherwise referred to as the 'Mbodi’, an age-old cultural practice that has existed for years.

The practice requires young ladies to be kept and fed for months before they get married. According to this tradition, the lady in question is fed in large amounts before marriage.

“Mbodi is a rite of passage which subjects women of marriageable age to undergo the process of body fattening. In most cases, Mbodi goes with circumcision.” — Ibiene

What is the fattening room process all about?

Before the feeding begins, the girls are put through some rituals such as shaving off their hairs and putting brass rings around their ankles.

On the day the fattening begins, palm oil is rubbed all over the young lady’s body and she is thereafter put in a secluded room where she is to sit on a mat. This room is also known as “the fattening room”; a place where the would-be bride would prepare for marriage, motherhood, and family life.

After some time, she is taught basic etiquette like how to receive visitors and welcome relatives. The process of fattening usually lasts for about a year.

Sylvester Odey, director of the Cultural Center Board has explained that the fattening room is like a kind of school where girls are taught about motherhood.

The daily routine is to sleep, eat, and grow fat.

Asides from eating, fattening also comes with an all-round beauty treatment that involves rubbing the lady’s body with massage oils and native chalk.

During this time, the young woman isn’t allowed to receive any visitors and interaction is also forbidden, except with elderly matrons who teach the would-be brides how to be successful mothers and wives.

As for how much fat is permissible, there is no laid down rule or particular standard. However, the bigger the bride, the better.

With this culture, beauty mostly lies in gaining weight. It doesn’t matter whether the lady is hungry or not. She is constantly fed, not minding if she likes it or not.

The Efik/Ibibio people believe that fattening comes with the following advantages:

It is a sign of privilege and wealth. A lot of lessons are learned during the process. For instance, financial lessons, folklore, and other related traditions are taught during this time. Pampering is also part of the treatment as it is considered to be a good time for relaxation.

Significance of the fattening room culture

In certain parts of Africa, a rotund figure is a sign of good health and wealth. In these places, the general belief is that such body type commands respect and honor from others.

Going to the fattening room is a service that some couples voluntarily opt for before getting married. In most cases, it is done after the bride price has been paid and the would-be husband can also share in the financial burden to pay for the fattening services such as cooking and other related expenses.

While recounting her experience in the fattening room, Happiness Eden, a former visitor to the fattening room said:

"In the morning, you eat ...after eating, you can take a bath. From there you can sleep, you sleep, you wake up, you eat, you sleep."

Concerns about being in the fattening culture

Although this practice places importance on a woman’s rotundity, it is done regardless of health implications such as obesity and other dangerous health conditions.

The ladies involved are usually given heavy food rich in carbohydrates and fat. Some may not find this process easy as they would have no choice but to eat as much as they can, irrespective of their appetite.

As the HubPages website puts it:

“They are usually overfed and must eat even when they don’t have any appetite, the process is grueling, forced and can be mentally and physically tasking.”

While it may be considered a voluntary act, some prospective brides are forced to do it to preserve their tradition. There is the tendency to get mocked by other community members who may feel that a family is financially incapable if their female child(ren) do not go through this rite of passage.

The restriction from the outside world and lack of physical contact also pose to be a problem because, during this time, the ladies are only allowed to sleep, eat, and do nothing more.

Younger girls who are not of marriageable age are also allowed to be involved, but only as a coming-of-age ceremony. It helps prepare them for womanhood. Nursing mothers can also partake if they wish to gain more weight.

Although this practice is gradually becoming extinct due to western influence and its health implications, it is still in practice in some communities.