Wednesday, February 17, 2016
Breast Ironing
Breast ironing is the pounding and massaging of a pubescent girl's breasts, using hard or heated objects, to try to make them stop developing or to disappear. It is typically carried out by the girl's mother who will say she is trying to protect the girl from sexual harassment and rape, to prevent early pregnancy that would tarnish the family name, or to allow the girl to pursue education rather than be forced into early marriage. It is mostly practiced in parts of Cameroon, where boys and men may think that girls whose breasts have begun to grow are ready for sex. My thoughts are that I just wish we didn't live in a world where a girl has to be physically mutilated in order to feel safe from rape and harassment.
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It is so disheartening to see the lengths people will go and the cultural norms that have been adopted that are so rooted in gender inequality. This is a similar concept to female genital mutilation, aiming to control both a woman's sexuality and a fear of men's unrestrained behaviors toward that sexuality.
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