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Article: Fuller Figures Are Celebrated At Beauty Contest In Ivory Coast.(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- Jet
- Article date:
- August 27, 2001
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2001 Johnson Publishing Co. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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In West African beauty pageants, the bigger you are, the better your chance of winning.
Some contestants in the recent Queen of Ivory Coast pageant, held in Abidjan, tipped the scales at up to 200 pounds. To get in good competition form, they feasted on porridge, meaty greens, fried plantain and anything else that gave them a shapely advantage.
In fact, a jiggling body part is considered a contestant's best asset. The pageant rule book details how the ideal queen should look: "a rounded, full-fleshed bottom, well-developed and in movement when the woman moves." And sponsors make clear they're looking for that classic "guitar shape."
To West ...