Breast Ironing Takes the “Fun” Out of Fun-bags
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Tools used to iron girls breasts. Read more about the practice of Breast-Ironing at BBC News.
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Cameroon - Rarely mentioned, especially to men, the ritual of ’ breast ironing’ involves massaging the growing breasts of young girls to make them disappear, usually by using a stone, a hammer or a spatula that has been heated over coals. It is generally carried out in rural areas in Cameroon and the Congo. The practice is meant to discourage young girls from being subjected to the advances of men, and hopefully, an untimely pregnancy.
Several women’s groups that have been advocating against the painful and gruesome practice for years, but the practice has gained a surprising opponent: Men.
“When I saw Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me a few months ago, Austin referred to breasts as ‘jubblies’ and ‘dirty pillows’,” says Edmund Abasi, a native of Cameroon. “I turned to look at my wife to ask her why she could not make her t-shirt look as nice as some of the models in the film. She just stared at me blankly.”
It was at that moment that he realized he had not any fun with her ‘fun-bags’ (breasts) since the pair had gotten married. He cursed her village mother, and vowed that no other man should have to suffer the ordeal of having a wife whose chest was flatter than his own.
Abasi has worked tirelessly to encourage big breasted-ness in Cameroons youth since watching the film. He has taken his campaign into the villages, where it is estimated that 33% of all young girls will have their breast ironed by the time they reach puberty.
“Don’t be jealous of your daughters’ breasts!” he cries over a megaphone. “They are natural! Why are you destroying the food supply of our youth? Have you seen a baby suckling from a board before? Your daughter’s chest is not an ironing board!”
Abasi has suggested that the people stop referring to breast as “breasts”, but rather adopt Power’s terminology and call them names like ‘fun-bags’, ‘dirty pillows’, or ‘juice bowls’. He believes that peoples’ attitudes towards the female anatomy will change to a more favorable one with the modification in jargon.
Though many are confused by his tactics, they do admit that it works. More men are coming to the forefront in condemnation of breast ironing.
“He makes a good point,” says Thierry Nda, a fisherman from the coast. “After all, what use is a pillow if it is flat?”
