Breast ironing: grim secret of Africa's women

Sydney Morning Herald ^ | 7/6/06 | Tansa Musa/Reuters

[Lucky9teen]

Understandably and I agree to a degree. However, there are those who love to preach, but don't practice what they preach. That was my point. :)

[Lucky9teen]

It's really sad too that parents do that, kind of living through their children. It so hurts the child for the future, imo.

My brother and sister-in-law do that with my 4 year old neice. They aren't involved in the church and it shows. We pray for them all the time. Although my brother was raised believing in God and going to church and all that, he has fallen away because it's just not important to him and his wife doesn't know much and seems cut off from wanting to know.

Meanwhile, their kids will suffer as they don't guide them with God's will, imo. And I can already see my sister-in-law is forming a "best friend" type thing with my neice, with what she subjects her to (TV programming for teens (not little kids), the clothes she wears, verbage she uses, etc.). What ever happened to kids being kids? Why do they have to grow up so damn fast?

As parents, we're responsible for the future of our country, and our children are that future.

[colorcountry]

Breast ironing.....I tried it but the wrinkles are still there.

[Jameison]

"This is barbaric."

It would be if it were indeed true.
Been to both Togo and Benin Republic.
Never saw or even heard of any such practice.
Even dated a lady or two from Togo, and their breasts were as juicy and hot as any I have seen.
I am always very skeptical of Europeans going to Africa, and coming back with tall tales

[TheSpottedOwl]

Good holy crap! These folks are unreal. How do they expect these girls to nurse their young?

[MrEdd]

I tried it but the wrinkles are still there.

Try a little magic sizing, or starch. You may need to turn them inside out for best results.

_{Well it was how I used to get my uniforms to pass inspection...}

[Suzy Quzy]

Why not TEACH the men in their culture not to RAPE!! Instead these people torture their female children because a barbarian male COULD do something to them. SICK....SICK society...uncivilized.

[CougarGA7]

And I thought this was bad.

That's just barbaric.

[GovernmentShrinker]

The practice has many side-effects, including severe pain and abscesses, infections, breast cancer, and even the complete disappearance of one or both breasts.

Presumably loss of ability to breast-feed too.

This is a much more extreme version of a common practice in this country in the 1920s, when it was fashionable for girls/women to be flat-chested, and many bound their breasts tightly every day. Probably made them droop early, but since they didn't sleep that way, and certainly weren't burning anything, it probably didn't do any serious damage. My grandmother and her sister both did this.

[Living Free in NH]

This is barbaric.

Just wondering...Do you suppose there are some cultures that believe it's just as barbaric to cut off the working end of a penis?

At the same time, I agree with you. But then again, I'm a "boob man."

[trimom]

How true! Not even that old, I regret saying. Prostitots.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

This is barbaric.

So are the rape gangs that prowl the streets of Cameroon and Tanzania.

Families take extraordinary measures to disguise their daughters...who are at a very high risk of being sexually assaulted...or worse.

[Khurkris]

Stone Age savagery.

[LongElegantLegs]

The practice is most common in the Christian and animist south of the country, rather than in the Muslim North and Far North provinces, where only 10 per cent of women are affected.

I suppose this makes sense. After all, the only thing a Muslim family has to do after a rape is burn/behead/stone the victim... The others, misguided though they may be, are trying to save their daughters from violence and emotional trauma.

[Between the Lines]

Note the subtle statmemnts. Happens in Christian and animist part but not in the muslim part. Anyone have thoughts.................

Breasts are not very noticeable in a burka. That is why they wear them.

[dc27]

I like big butts & I cannot lie. BREAK OUT THE HOT BUM STONES!!!

Sir Mix Alot

[dc27]

AMEN! It calls to mind how many mommies take their little girls to Glamor Shots, paint them up, friz their hair, have them pout suggestively into the camera, and shoot pictures of them.

My wife's hairdresser(single mom), had one of those pics done with her 14 year old daughter. She proudly displayed the picture at her station. The mom and daughter had the same low cut top on.