A woman living in Mauritania is ordered to eat excessively so that she becomes more desirable and finds a husband.
Upon finding out her parents have chosen her future husband, Verida (Verida Beitta Ahmed Deiche) has to prepare for her wedding by practicing an old tradition called gavage, in which she will have to gain nearly 40 pounds in three months to be an acceptable wife. Life becomes difficult as she is ordered to eat 10 huge meals a day to become large enough to be considered beautiful and wealthy. Having adapted a more modern lifestyle of spending time with friends, reading fashion magazines, and working in her grandmother’s salon, Verida grows tired of her mother’s strict rules. Her friend Amal (Amal Saad Bouh Oumar) supports her and reminds her that if her marriage fails she can just find another husband, maybe even Sidi (Sidi Mohamed Chinghaly) who is the guy hired to weigh her.
Nearly 175 pounds already, Verida is expected to be over 200 before she weds and she is not even allowed to see her future husband because it is considered bad luck. Her mother tells her that when her body is big and covered in stretch marks she will be the most beautiful. After months of constant eating, she finally gets enough courage to truly confront her mother.
This film challenges the way we see ourselves through the eyes of other cultures. In many places like the US, a 200-pound woman is considered unhealthy, obese, and is ridiculed. In other cultures, being heavy is considered a sign of wealth and beauty. I loved this film and thought it was not only a great story but educational in many ways. And after seeing all of that food she ate, I left the theater feeling pretty full myself.
“Flesh Out” recently premiered at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival
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