Showing posts with label West; Africa; Niger; Sahel; Wodaabe; Bororo; Fulani;nomad; man; painting; face; Yakey; dancer; male; beauty; contest; tribal; indigenous; people; anthropology; photo; photograph; image; picture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label West; Africa; Niger; Sahel; Wodaabe; Bororo; Fulani;nomad; man; painting; face; Yakey; dancer; male; beauty; contest; tribal; indigenous; people; anthropology; photo; photograph; image; picture. Show all posts

Thursday, June 5, 2014

Niger: Wodaabe Man Preparing To Participate In A Male Beauty Contest


Looking into a small mirror, a man of the Wodaabe tribe, also known as Bororo, is painting his face to participate in a Yakey dance, which doubles as a male beauty contest among members of a clan. Later, during the rains, when pasture will be abundant enough for those nomads’ cattle to stop moving for a while, the clans will gather and compete in a Gerewol dance. This will be a much more demanding beauty contest. This time it will oppose clans against clans, and the less-than-handsome will be ridiculed by the elders. The good-looking ones will hook up with potential wives.
     The Wodaabe canon of beauty demands light skin, thin nose and lips, high forehead, and mostly shining white teeth and eyeballs. This invites much make-up.
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