Hey, you’re fat!

If you are a European, your reaction to this exclamation would probably be indignation, anger, or possibly you’d turn red and mumble something about needing to start going to the gym.

If you are Ugandan (and perhaps generally African, though I’m in no position to speak for the whole huge continent) and you hear this, you would probably smile, nod happily and say thank you!

Because the local concept of beauty and the role of body fat in it is vastly different from ours. Here being fat is seen a sign of prosperity and riches, and shows that you are well looked-after (all the more true in arid countries where droughts can often lead to famines). At the same time, being fat is largely representative of the traditional beauty and fashion, and is generally acknowledged as attractive, especially in women (though as far as I know, Uganda doesn’t go as far as force-feeding women, which is still done in some countries).

Make no mistake, if you notice that someone is fat(ter) – don’t hesitate, say it, flatter! (that is a nice unplanned rhyme)

When our former flatmate, just after returning from a four-week visit at her parents’ home, met up with one of her friends, the first thing she was told was an admiring “ooohhhhh… you’re fat!” (And yes, she seemed pleased enough to hear that). 

And don’t worry about being inappropriate, this is perfectly accepted also in a formal interaction. At a work event, one participant paid a compliment to my colleague remarking on how fat she was (note: she was pregnant). I observed that you’d not want to say that to a girl in Europe, upon which they all entered a state of incredulous shock. HOW do you pay a compliment like this then?! (as in, how *do* you tell a girl she has beautiful eyes if you can’t mention “eyes”?) If not this, WHAT ELSE can you say?!?!

Quite amusing for a European to observe these situations. OK, until the moment when they try to flatter *you* this way. And usually, when confronted with a stone-faced reaction, they develop their compliments in further details. Oh great.

Anyway, it’s not only among friends or colleagues, being fat is publicly acknowledged and cherished. So of course, it is not the skinny girls who rule the advertising world like they do back home:

Throw away those guilty feelings about the chocolate (or the extra portion of matooke) when you go shopping – no pervasive sensation that clothes on the display can’t fit you. Though the mannequins probably come from white territories, they are adjusted along the appropriate beauty lines to properly show off what's on sale. 

And to fill in that dress nicely, adverts scattered around offer you help to achieve your desired weight – both up and down!

Though it is also true that as relative prosperity (at least in nutritional terms) slowly stops being a rare privilege of few and being fat is not always exclusively an isolated demonstration of one’s affluence and well-being, signals start to appear even here warning about the health consequences of this beauty model.

Um... I think I'll go now and open that packet of chocolate anyway...