Thursday, February 21, 2008

The Bobaraba



That's a dance craze sweeping the Ivory Coast, and a tribute to the natural shape of many African women.

Ironically, the craze has spawned something of a black market in injections and creams designed to, um, increase the size of your bobaraba.

Which just goes to show that the U.S. has no corner on the personal transformation fantasy. Still, you've gotta love a dance that celebrates the tush.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I, too, like a dance that celebrates the tush, but this quote from DJ Mix, one half of the composing duo, makes me furious:

"We made it as a tribute to women, because African women are defined by the shape of their bottoms."

Women are not defined by their bottoms or by their bodies, and who the hell is this man to take the liberty to define African American women at all? Gah.

Anonymous said...

I mean African women! Sorry!

But yeah, when somebody "defines women" by their bodies, women HAVE to go for injections and creams and implants because if they lack whatever corporeal characteristic they're using to define them, then they aren't "real women." It also serves to dehumanize women by reducing them to their body parts, which makes it a lot easier to exploit them.

But you knew that. Sorry to be all riled up so early in the morning. Judging by these comments, today is going to be interesting.

Anonymous said...

I agree with you ottermatic.

I also only kind of sort of liked Mika's Big Girl, You Are Beautiful, because even though these are songs that are celebrating women with big bodies (or big body parts) they are still songs about women's bodies and they still objectify us.

Harriet said...

Any pressure from the outside to look a certain way is going to trigger trouble.

We have to be happy in our bodies and our minds for our own sake, not to please others. It's damn hard to overcome social brainwashing, though.

Anonymous said...

What ottermatic said.

But hey, Harriet - did you miss "Da Butt"? From E.U. and Spike Lee?

You must not be from D.C.

Harriet said...

Now how did I miss something called "Da Butt"??

No, I am not from DC.

Anonymous said...

From Spike Lee's "School Daze"

A clip from the movie:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQUgFNEGmGI&feature=related

(the visual drags a little "behind" the sound - also you may want to take the volume down)

The music video (featuring Spike himself clowning a little in cameo):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwTkwyBa__U&feature=related