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Documentary of four babies from four different parts of the world

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Directed by Thomas Balmès. With Bayar, Hattie, Mari, Ponijao. A look at one year in the life of four babies from around the world, from Mongolia to Namibia to San Francisco to Tokyo.

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To an outsider, a lip plate may be viewed as a form of body mutilation rather than body art but to a Mursi or Suri woman, it is an expression of female maturity and a sign that she has reached child-bearing age.

It is also a distinguishing trait that ensures she is not mistaken for a member of neighboring rival tribes who either do not pierce their lips (Kwegu tribe) or only wear small plugs inserted into their lower lips (Bodi tribe).

Although labial plates were also traditonally worn by Suya men of Brazil, Sara women of Chad, the Makonde of Mozambique, and the Botocudo of coastal Brazil (quite a mouthful, even without a lip plate), the only tribes that still follow this tradition are the Mursi and Suri tribes of Ethiopia.

Close to the Sudanese border in the lower Omo Valley in Ethiopia live a nomadic tribe who number only 10,000 people. Known as the Mursi, they live in the most isolated area of Ehiopia, surrounded on three sides by rivers.

Until a decade ago they were a completely oral tribe as not one of the members could read or write.

This tradition is customarily performed from 6 months to a year before a young girl is to marry, usually around the age of sweet sixteen.

During an initiation ritual, a small incision of between 1 and 2 cm in length is made in the lower lip. This ritual is usually performed by their mother or another kinswoman.

A wooden peg or ceramic disc is placed in the incision and this remains there for approximately 3 weeks or until the wound has healed. The peg is then replaced with a slightly larger disc, thereby stretching the lip gradually. This stretching process will continue until the lip has an opening of about 4 cm in diameter. At this point, the first clay lip plate will be inserted.

To accommodate the lip plate, at least two and sometimes four lower front teeth are extracted.

Each woman crafts her own lip plates and decorates them with pride. The stretching process using larger and larger lip plates will continue until a disc of about 10 to 15 cm will fit into the lower lip. There are reports of some women who boast lip plates that are 25 cm in diameter, though this is not the norm. This entire stretching process usually takes several months to complete.

Because lip plugs make talking difficult, women only wear theirs in the company of men, but remove them to eat and sleep or when they are only in the company of women or children.

It is Mursi tradition that young suitors must pay the father of the bride-to-be when asking for his daughter's hand in marriage. Most of the marriages are pre-arranged with the future bride having little or no say in the matter.

Although it is often said that there is a correlation between the size of a young girl's lip plate and her bridewealth, this does not hold water, as the price of the future bride is usually determined prior to the initiation ceremony.

It seems that the plate's size is determined by personal preference and the wearer's ability to withstand the pain associated with the stretching of the lip.

The Mursi tribespeople view their bodies as living canvasses and paint intricate patterns on all parts of their bodies from an early age.

The men paint their bodies with white chalk during dances and ceremonies. Using their fingertips as brushes, the men also paint intricate patterns on each other's bodies with a thin layer of clay from the river bank.

Besides adorning themselves with these enormous lip plates, the women also wear white body and face paint. They are also fond of wearing earrings made of fruit on their stretched and cut earlobes.

There are pressures on Mursi women from the Muslim-dominated Ethiopian Government to give up this practice. Another indirect pressure comes from the realization by the tribe itself that they will be excluded from social and economic benefits as long as they are perceived to be backward by outsiders. They recognize that the tradition affects other people's perception of their limitations and stands in the way of future development.

Tourists, on the other hand, are keeping the tradition alive. They travel great distances to see and photograph these lip-plated women that they presumably perceive as freaks in a freak show. The Mursi have, however, realized that they can earn a living by posing for these tourists and this in itself may be sufficient motivation for them to continue the tradition. The practice of stretching their lips has become an economic asset to the entire community.

The Mursi tribe will probably eventually have to heed the Govenrment's warnings, but until then, the tourists will keep coming.

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To an outsider, a lip plate may be viewed as a form of body mutilation rather than body art but to a Mursi or Suri woman, it is an expression of female maturity and a sign that she has reached child-bearing age.

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I visited a remote village of the mursi tribe in south ethiopia.I met the people and discovered their strange habits

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The Kazakhs are a Turkic people of the northern parts of Central Asia (largely Kazakhstan, but also found in parts of Uzbekistan, China, Russia, and Mongolia).

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Jennifer Hudson

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Singer Jennifer Hudson talks about her recent weight loss and why she was able to lose the weight this time.

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Alisa Valdes Rodriguez

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Author Alisa Valdes talks on bisexuality with Latina Blogger

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Jennifer Hudson famously shed more than 80 pounds through a deal with Weight Watchers, but the 31-year-old singer is still adjusting to her new size. Hudson covers the new issue of Weight Watchers magazine, where she tells the publication that she "got used to being plus-sized, whereas now it's like, 'Ok, who am I?' I keep thinking that I probably need an extra-large or a large, and the stylist is like, 'No, you need a medium or a small.' I'm still discovering myself, as well as how I'm perceived."

Hudson added that keeping a routine helped her maintain the weight loss. "Jogging makes me feel powerful and free! I like challenging myself," and that, most importantly, her confidence wouldn't be identified by her weight. "I liked who I was before I lost weight, and I like who I am now," the former "American Idol" contestant shared.

Hudson showed off her svelte figure recently at the Super Bowl, when she accompanied the Sandy Hook Elementary School children's choir for an emotional performance of "America the Beautiful" in New Orleans. The Oscar-winner admitted that the experience was overwhelming. "Little children being survivors like that... that is the part that took me in," she said on the "Today" show Monday. "They are conquerors, they are survivors. And they're babies. So that was overwhelming."

For more, pick up a copy of the new Weight Watchers magazine, out on stands Feb. 12.

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Jennifer Hudson Talks Weight Loss: 'Ok, Who Am I?'

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Jennifer Hudson famously shed more than 80 pounds through a deal with Weight Watchers, but the 31-year-old singer is still adjusting to her new size. Hudson covers the new issue of Weight Watchers magazine, where she tells the publication that she "got used to being plus-sized, whereas now it's like, 'Ok, who am I?'

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spanish women: what are they really like?

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Spanish Women: what are they really like? (country, place, train) - Europe - City-Data Forum

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the typical stereotype of Spanish women is that the all look like models and spend all their time perfecting that image so i was wondering what are

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Models

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Africa's Next Top Model

America's Next Top Model (ANTM) is going to Africa. The reality television series, in which women compete to become the next best model and begin a career in the modeling industry, is expanding to a new continent. But instead of Tyra Banks as the host, Nigerian model Oluchi Onweagba will take over the newly branded show, Africa's Next Top Model.

"I am excited to be hosting Africa's Next Top Model and it is great to be part of the successful America's Next Top Model franchise that Tyra Banks created and has hosted for an impressive 20 cycles thus far in the U.S.," Oluchi said in a CBS Corporation release. "The African version of the franchise is long overdue and I expect the show to be a smashing success across the continent."

At the age of 17, Oluchi Onweagba won M-Net's Face of Africa competition, a continental model talent search that began in 1998. Oluchi was the first winner. The show ran for about six seasons after taking a three-year break in 2001 and returning in 2005. Any female from sub-Saharan Africa could enter the competition to win the Face of Africa title and a modeling career with Elite Model Management.

Since the competition, Oluchi has been seen on the magazine covers of Elle and Italian Vogue, as well as featured in Victoria's Secret, Sports Illustrated and several other magazines and runway shows. Oluchi shared her 'rags to riches' story on The Africa Channel in an episode of Conversations with Felicia. The young model's Face of Africa origins can be seen in the link to the show.

Africa's Next Top Model is set to feature female contestants who can represent several different countries in Africa. Over the course of 10 episodes, 12 women will be chosen to compete from eight different countries, including Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Angola and Tanzania. As the fourth continent to adopt the ANTM show concept, the African series will be shot in Cape Town, South Africa, beginning in August.

CBS Corporation. News: "AFRICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL" TO STRUT THE RUNWAY IN 2013. 2013.Retrieved from http://www.cbscorporation.com/news-article.php?id=950

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Africa's Next Top Model - The Africa Channel

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America's Next Top Model (ANTM) is going to Africa. The reality television series, in which women compete to become the next best model and begin a career in the modeling industry, is expanding to a new continent. But instead of Tyra Banks as the host,...

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model in Africa

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Spanish Women: What are they really like? KM

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Spanish Women: What are they really like? KM

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spanish women: what are they really like?

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Spanish Women: what are they really like? (country, place, train) - Europe - City-Data Forum

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the typical stereotype of Spanish women is that the all look like models and spend all their time perfecting that image so i was wondering what are

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Social constructivists, who are strong proponents of the blank slate premise of the human mind, have repeatedly argued that there are no universal metrics of beauty (as was the case in Dr. Albers' latest post). The strategy for arguing their case is to identify beauty metrics that are radically different across cultural settings, and hence conclude that universal components of beauty do not exist. I am afraid that this is a grossly incomplete and incorrect perspective.

It is undeniable that indeed there are an endless number of cultural definitions of beauty. However, these are largely inconsequential, when compared to evolutionarily relevant metrics. Let me provide you with two drastic culture-specific examples of beauty: (1) the wearing of large lip plates (Surma and Mursi women of Ethiopia); (2) neck elongation (Kareni and Padaung women of Myanmar). Ah ha! Social constructivists construe these examples as perfect manifestations of the social construction of beauty. Furthermore, social constructivists are quick to point to the heterogeneity of mating preferences within a given culture as further proof of their position. For example, some men prefer blondes while others prefer brunettes. Some women prefer men with dark complexions while others prefer light-skinned gentlemen. Fair enough but this does not imply that there are no universal metrics of beauty.

Symmetric faces are construed as more beautiful than asymmetric faces in all cultures (irrespective of the race of the person being evaluated and the race of the evaluator). You can visit Bedouins in the Middle East, the Yanomamo in the Amazon, and Inuits in the Canadian north, and they will all agree as to who is or is not beautiful (based on facial features). Clear skin is a universal preference. Certain morphological features that connote masculinity (square jaw) or femininity (high-cheek bones) are universally preferred. Rotund Rubanesque women, heavier women preferred in Central Africa, and catwalk thin models, while varying greatly in terms of their weight, all tend to have hourglass figures that correspond roughly to a waist-to-hip ratio of 0.70 (although cultural settings can slightly alter that preference). Babies who are insufficiently cognitively developed to be influenced by socialization gaze at symmetric faces for longer periods than they do at asymmetric ones. I can provide numerous other examples that support the universal components of beauty but I suppose that you get the point. It seems that irrespective of the number of times that these points are made, social constructivists simply cannot accept the overwhelming amount of scientific evidence in support of the universality of some beauty metrics.

Generating cross-cultural differences of beauty and then arguing that this implies that there are no universal standards of beauty is as sophisticated a logic, as to argue that since miniature poodles and Great Danes are so radically different (morphologically speaking), they must constitute different species! One needs to look at the relevant metrics prior to arriving at the relevant conclusions.

For additional details about this issue (and relevant references), the readers can refer to my book The Evolutionary Bases of Consumption and/or to my forthcoming trade book to be published in 2011 by Prometheus Books.

To summarize: It is indeed true that many metrics of beauty are socially constructed. However, it is unequivocally clear that many others are universally defined, as these constitute cues of phenotypic quality that hold true irrespective of cultural setting or time period.

Source for Image:
http://cdn.giantmag.com/files//2008/12/scarlett_johansson.jpg http://www.larsderuijter.nl/ethiopia/04%20surma%20mizan%20-%20kibish/F10...

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Beauty: Culture-Specific or Universally Defined?

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Social constructivists, who are strong proponents of the blank slate premise of the human mind, have repeatedly argued that there are no universal metrics of beauty (as was the case in Dr. Albers' latest post). The strategy for arguing their case is to identify beauty metrics that are radically different across cultural settings, and hence conclude that universal components of beauty do not exist.

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Fat is Beautiful                    DF

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Fat is Beautiful                    DF

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On the Price of Beauty VH1 TV show, Jessica Simpson and her friends traveled to a remote tribe in Uganda. As they do each week, they investigate the definition of beauty as defined by a particular culture and the cost of obtaining it. The overarching theme of the show-beautiful is unique to each and every culture. There is no universal definition of beauty.

This episode was an interesting juxtopostion to her trip to France. In Paris, Jessica interviewed a woman struggling with anorexia. She also spoke to women in the fashion industry who feel extreme pressure to be ultra thin. In Uganda, women face the polar opposite issue. Jessica landed in a world where "fat is beautiful." Jessica (and many of us) have never been in a place where the perception of beauty does not include thinness.

In this Uganda tribe, a full figure is considered beautiful. A plump wife is a status symbol and a source of pride for men. If an American man compared you to a cow, you be quite insulted and likely very upset. The comparison evokes a different response in Uganda. A well fed wife and cow are a sign that you are a wealthy man and it is a compliment.

Upon arrival, Jessica and her friend were dressed in colorful, comfortable dresses. The dresses were what we would consider "unflattering." They were not form fitting (think Muumuu dress). Jessica stated the outfit "instantly put 40lbs." Consider how much our clothing reflects our definition of beauty, are created to highlight it and fit our bodies into that notion. Skinny jeans and Spanx subtract from your shape while the flowing dresses in Uganda add to your frame.

It seemed like Jessica was a little bit envious. What was it like to live in a world where women were not pressured to starve themselves and put their body through torture? No diet commercials. No picking apart of your body. Hard for many of us to imagine.

However, the process of gaining the weight to be "beautiful" looked a little grueling. According to the tradition, women prepare for marriage by entering the "fattening hut." The bride is required to drink several jugs of milk (approximately 5000 calories) a day. This led the bride they interviewed to gain 80lbs in two months.

"Fat" or "thin"-how different is the underlying message? A woman's body still is a symbol of status. It left you wondering if women in this tribe feel pressure to maintain the weight gain as much as men and women feel pressure to remain thin. We are still waiting and hoping that Jessica is going to find a culture where your body is beautiful just as it is, without manipulation of your weight or shape. A culture that encourages you to eat mindfully, be healthy and see your natural body as beautiful.

Jessica seemed to really like a country that appreciates a woman with curves. It was the bugs and the creepy crawly things in Uganda that she could do without.

Next week, they are off to Morocco...

By: Dr. Susan Albers, psychologist and author of the new book, 50 Ways to Soothe Yourself WIthout Food, Eat, Drink & Be Mindful, Mindful Eating 101 and Eating Mindfully.
www.eatingmindfully.com

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On the Price of Beauty VH1 TV show, Jessica Simpson and her friends travel to a remote tribe in Uganda. As they do each week, they investigate the definition of beauty as defined by a particular culture and the cost of obtaining it. The theme of the show-beautiful is unique to each and every culture.

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4:54

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Golden Ratio

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by Gary Meisner

The human body is based on Phi and 5.

The human body illustrates the Golden Section or Divine Proportion. We'll use the golden ratio building blocks developed on the Life page again for each line segment:

The Divine Proportion in the Body

The white line is the body's height.

The blue line, a golden section of the white line, defines the distance from the head to the finger tips.

The yellow line, a golden section of the blue line, defines the distance from the head to the navel and the elbows.

The green line, a golden section of the yellow line, defines the distance from the head to the pectorals and inside top of the arms, the width of the shoulders, the length of the forearm and the shin bone.

The magenta line, a golden section of the green line, defines the distance from the head to the base of the skull and the width of the abdomen. The sectioned portions of the magenta line determine the position of the nose and the hairline.

Although not shown, the golden section of the magenta line (also the short section of the green line) defines the width of the head and half the width of the chest and the hips.

The Human Body is based on patterns of 5, which is the basis for Phi as well

Another interesting relationship of golden section to the design of the human body is that there are:

5 appendages to the torso, in the arms, leg and head.

5 appendages on each of these, in the fingers and toes

5 openings on the face.

5 sense organs for sight, sound, touch, taste and smell.

The golden section in turn, is also based on 5, as the number phi, or 1.6180339..., is computed using 5's, as follows:

5 ^ .5 * .5 + .5 = Phi

In this mathematical construction "5 ^ .5" means "5 raised to the 1/2 power," which is the square root of 5, which is then multiplied by .5 and to which .5 is then added.

Filed Under: Life

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The Human Body and the Golden Ratio - The Golden Ratio: Phi, 1.618

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The human body is based on Phi and 5. The human body illustrates the Golden Section or Divine Proportion. We'll use the golden ratio building blocks developed on the Life page again for each line segment: The Divine Proportion in the Body The white line is the body's height.