Cultural elaborations of obesity - fattening practices in Pacific societies
- PMID: 24394425
Cultural elaborations of obesity - fattening practices in Pacific societies
Abstract
Fattening rituals in Pacific societies are examined within a discussion of the cultural aspects of obesity as a disease of modernisation. Those rituals contributed to a strong aesthetic value of large body size and light skin, while also incorporating the symbolic value of food. They may have enhanced survival value of a genetic potential in the face of irregular diet. Today with a more regular diet available only the negative aspects of large body size prevail.
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