THE CULTURAL IDEOLOGY OF BODY IMAGE
AMONG FIJIAN WOMEN
by Erinn Gregg

Chapter 4
The Views of Young and/or Unmarried Fijian Women

Chapter 4

Ideas about Attractiveness among Young Fijians

Ideas about Attractiveness among Young Indo-Fijians

Ideas about Attractiveness among Young Fijians

I started by asking six young women and one young man for terms they would use to describe someone of the opposite sex and someone of the same sex whom the found attractive. I did this to see whether they would focus more on personal appearance or personality traits. I then followed up specifically with questions on appearance. I asked the six young women questions regarding their concern with not only their own weight (dieting and food restrictions, exercise, weight) but also their concern with other people's weight. These questions were aimed at uncovering whether or not these people thought about controlling their weight.

Like to other cultures around the world, Fijians have many terms that are used to describe the level of attractiveness of the opposite sex. "Uro," which literally can be used to describe someone who is "fat", has become a term of endearment in recent years. Presently the word has transformed into the slang expression for a man or woman who is considered cute or attractive. In addition, "rairai vinaka," (literally: looks good) is used to indicate that either a woman or a man is attractive.

While the terms uro and rairai vinaka focus on physical appearance, interviewing people about what they found attractive in the opposite sex indicated that appearance was not the only thing involved. I interviewed one young man who revealed that he focused more on behavior than on physical appearance when he assessed how attractive young women were. One term "mata vinaka" (literally: nice face), refers to a woman who is nice looking. A young male informant said, "[It can be used for a woman] who tries to be herself without a lot of makeup." In addition he said an attractive women could be described as "sega dokadoka", meaning she is not proud and similarly, "marama" (literally: woman), suggesting she is humble, innocent and ladylike. Both of the terms focus less on physical attractiveness than on the demeanor of the young woman. The young man also said that an attractive woman is a marama, or a "smiler." He is suggesting that she should conduct herself in a way that is respectful but not be shy.

In contrast to this young man most of the young women who were interviewed focused more on physical components of the attractiveness for young women. However, close reading shows that some of the physical features mentioned were significant because they showed that the person had the correct concern for other people. Young women came up with terms such as "totoka" (beautiful) and "tolemaresa," referring to a nice figure. Thus they suggest terms for attractiveness referring to physical appearance. In general while young and unmarried women were more centered on the physical appearance of a woman as the most important part of her attractiveness than were older and married women, they were also concerned with parts of appearance which suggested a correct sociocentric orientation including good grooming as a display of respect for others. One woman suggested, "If she is tall, the look, the figure," then the women is attractive. However she continued to say a woman was attractive according to "hairstyle, how wealthy she is, [her] family background, and her high school performance." She implies, therefore, that there are other factors that are considered in a woman's attractiveness that have more to do with character traits than with physical attributes.

A large emphasis was placed on the hairstyle of the young woman suggesting that the proper hairstyle for any Fijian woman was the "buina," the traditional Fijian cut. One young woman said, "The way a woman cuts her hair can make her unattractive. In Fiji we use our hairstyle. Like our grandmothers, when they look at us and they see us with makeup they don't like it. Fijians we usually cut our hair short and at the back we have it cut and straight." Thus, while the focus is on an aspect of appearance, there is more of a concern for the respect that a young woman bestows upon her elders by having this haircut than on how good it makes her look. Similarly, it was mentioned that a young woman who wore the traditional sulu skirt "properly" was considered attractive as well. "Some, [they] look dirty - they just don't know how to dress themselves. Some, they don't know how to wear sulu and what goes with them. Some, they dress like boys and they go around like boys." Since the sulu is the appropriate dress for a women to wear according to Fijian custom, again it is a sign of respect for others which becomes translated into attractiveness. Thus, out of respect for elders it is "attractive" to have the proper hairstyle and clothing even at a younger age.

A friendly personality was another character trait that the young women and the young male found attractive for females. A woman who was friendly to others was given a positive response according to the young man. "The way she communicates. You know some of the girls they seem to be so stubborn. Some of the girls, if there are boys around they will hush up and I like those who will say hello to everybody even if there are boys around." This behavior, which is considered attractive by the young man, is different from attractive behavior that shows respect for tradition but also fits with the sociocentric values of Fijian culture. The attractive person is one who is friendly not "stubborn faced" (mata ruburubu). The friendly face implies that the woman or man wants to interact with the community around her.

Women who were interviewed about other women also thought friendly behavior was attractive. One woman presently attending the Fiji Institute of Technology said, "I think it is the personality of women that makes them most attractive. Her attitude towards people, towards her friends and peers. She has to be ladylike. Mostly nowadays women they lose their values." Once again there is a larger emphasis on the actions of the young woman in relation to other people, with good etiquette, to be most attractive. If a young woman shows respect in her interactions and has maintained a strong sense of values she is considered attractive.

The perceptions of attractiveness that are discussed by the women and the young man are largely focused on the communication a young woman has with others. A woman who respects Fijian traditions displays a significant amount of respect for others. By maintaining her values and remaining committed to the traditions of the community around her, she is perceived as attractive.

While the young man interviewed focused on character traits when talking about what was attractive he did mention physical traits when asked what was unattractive. The young man was presented with the following scenario in order to assess his feelings about overweight women. "Suli marries a woman who is slim and gains weight once they marry because she eats a lot." Previously he had mentioned that, "If a girl is born that way, [fat], and she can't help it then it is okay. But if she is just a big eater - ugh." In addition he expressed his dislike for women who are short and fat. Since many Fijian women tend to gain significant amounts of weight after marriage and childbirth, the scenario was focused on whether or not the young man would be concerned with his wife's weight even after marriage. The young man replied to the scenario saying, "I'd have to send her out every morning to the gym. I'd have to buy her lean meat [and] skim milk." In this case there is a focus on weight and an apparent concern of the man that his wife would gain weight. Rather than accept the idea and mention other characteristics that the man would find attractive about his wife, he says that he would want her to diet and lose weight.

Women found it more difficult to talk about unattractiveness but when they did they focused on character traits. A twenty-year old woman who is a student at the University of the South Pacific stated, "For you people [Europeans], you can look at someone and see if they are attractive or unattractive. You say, 'Oh look at her she is ugly or look at him he is ugly.' But in Fiji we cannot just do that. We can't just look at someone like that and tell." So while it may be harder to asses unattractiveness among Fijians the other women did recognize unattractive characteristics.

Another young women, also a twenty-year old student at the Fiji Institute of Technology, focused mostly on a woman's behavior which made her unattractive.

Looks, school - even if you are attractive outside but your inside is unattractive. If they are cool, unkind, unloving. Bad attitudes, bad behavior. Even if you are attractive and you have plenty of boyfriends they will treat you like a bitch. The guys will just look at you and they will describe everything from your head to your toe - everything about your body. You will be embarrassed. And one boy will talk about you to his friends and point to you. Veitaleiataka na nomu bula - you are unorganized, you don't care about your life. From inside and out. The personality is what makes both males and females unattractive.

Here the concentration is on the personality of the person. This woman has been away from home for almost two years, and at this time she informed me that she is more concerned with her studies than with finding a husband. Thus, while she mentions that looks might make someone unattractive, she does not make any direct reference to weight.

The focus on grooming in many responses also showed that young people attached importance to exhibiting respect to others. Among the young women in the village a woman who was un-groomed and did not look after her self was described as unattractive. A twenty-eight year old woman who is unmarried and has received education away from the village stated the following.

People who don't look after themselves [are] unattractive. If she is not well dressed. Some of them they don't groom themselves. The way they dress, the way they act. Performance too - it shows. If you go to a certain high school, what level of education you are at it shows. Most of the village is like that. If you go to a secondary level it shows up in you. You'll never mix up with people; you'll just stick to your own [in the village] If you go to school you'll stick around with people from there.

Once more there is a focus on the character traits of the young woman as opposed to her physical appearance. A woman who is educated and acts intelligently is noticed as attractive. Those who are uneducated and only complete schooling up to high school are perceived as less attractive because they will not interact with people other than those in the village.

Although few women volunteered that weight was a component of attractiveness, when I asked specifically about overweight women a majority of the women who were interviewed said overweight people were unattractive. One young woman told me that there is a negative association with overweight women. "I prefer to be friends with girls who are my same age, same height as me, same build. Like I am not big and my friends are not either. I do not like to make friends with girls who are big because I think big girls like that are greedy." This women suggested that women who are big are thus considered to have a negative character trait of greediness and this is one of the main reasons people find fat women unappealing.

While women did not dwell on weight as a component of attractiveness, when I probed on the topic they did say that other people talked about weight a great deal. One young woman said, "People do discuss their weight. They will say, 'Oh you are getting weight, you should eat less.'" Another woman, twenty-eight years old and unmarried, told me that people will often not make direct comments to someone who is overweight but they will gossip about that person with other villagers.

Yes they normally comment on other people. Some of them comment like not as a good comment but as gossip. Some of the Fijian women comment in terms of like, "Oh she has gone too fat she must be eating a lot or she must be doing some other things that are not appropriate." In terms of drinking - for us drinking makes us go fat - drinking alcohol.

People take note of others' weight gain and discuss it, but when approaching a women about her weight they will often makes comments in a joking fashion to the overweight woman. A young woman living in the village who is in Form Seven said, "We do that [comment on other people's weight] - by gossiping. We tease her and see her in a bad face like that." It is not uncommon to hear women in the village joke with one another about weight asking one another what they have been eating because they have "gone fat."

Women also reported that overweight women often receive negative treatment from others. A young woman who is attending the University of the South Pacific told me about her friend who is overweight.

I have one friend and she is fat. We were having a social night at the school and you were supposed to have an escort or you would be the last person on the line to get inside. She said she wasn't asking anyone and I said if she had brothers she could take. She said they were all married and I told her I would find one of my cousins to go with [her] and she said it was okay and did not want to go to the event. She just stayed home. People make fun of others who are fat.

This example recognizes the importance which men and women place on weight and appearance.

Another young woman told me about an experience she had on a bus just recently in which an overweight woman was treated with disrespect.

We boarded the bus, The Sunbeam Express, this is the first time ever saw. I went to Suva and we were sitting in the back and it was raining and the bus was full. And this old lady boarded the bus and we were sitting in the back and it was raining and the bus was full. And this old lady boarded the bus and I was already in the bus and I managed to have seat, a two seater and I was sitting with a guy and nobody even bothers to move for this lady. So I stood up and the manager of the bus who collects the tickets told me to go and sit in front. So I managed to give her a seat. She was old and had gone fat. Some people don't care to even stand up but I do that.

Even though the woman in this situation did give up her seat for the overweight women who had boarded the bus, not one other person on the bus, including the man sitting in the seat next to her, offered their seat to the woman. People who are overweight are not given the same consideration or acknowledgement as others. They are neglected or as in this situation ignored.

If people generally base their opinions about other people on weight it comes as no surprise that some Fijian companies even have weight requirements which one must meet before applying to work at the company.

For me, I don't like my weight because the last time I applied for a job they required the weight - you should be forty or fifty kg and I did not even reach that weight. I was I think 39, that's why I hate light weight. I weigh 45 kg but my ideal weight is closer to 50, because I want to go for a job at the local airport and they require you weight to be 50 to 55 kg.

While the weight requirements for the airport were most likely centered on the notion that an employee must be strong enough to lift a certain amount of weight, it still brings out the idea that weight is an important aspect of people's lives. If a woman would like to get a job rather than getting married or plans to do both, she is still pressures in cases like this to remain slim. "This is for a job at Air Terminal Systems (ATS) where you load the planes but do not board them. That (50 to 55 kg) is the exact weight they want and if you are close to 50 they will not hire you." Again women are in a double bind in a situation such as this. They are encouraged to remain slim because of the role they are playing in their lives but if they would like to work such as the young women in this example, they are required to be at a certain weight, often heavier than their actual weight.

The focus that many of the women placed on weight was in reference to how others would treat them and look at them. From the preceding scenarios it is no surprise that a young women would want to stay slim. One twenty-year old woman who is attending Penang Central High School stated that her desire to lose weight was inspired from her male friends.

I didn't like it when I was that fat. I [have] plenty of boy friends and I used to ask them, "Hey what type of girls do you like," and they say you know the first thing we go for the body figure because we like slim bodies and all that and so I said, "Oh I think I will make myself slim."

At such an age where a woman is concerned with what males think of her and how she is perceived by others. Hearing a comment like this from her male friends would no doubt have an effect on her personal perception of her body. The same young woman told me that her male friends will make comments in school towards other females who are large. "Especially the boys, when a fat girl goes by they say, 'Hey. What does she eat - she is so fat.' The girls sometimes get upset." If you are overweight you are faced with the mocking and comments from others which are a constant reminder of the focus on weight.

The concern which young women have for their bodies and the focus on staying slim is no doubt enhanced because these women are young and unmarried, and the response they get from males when they have slim figures is positive. Thus while none of these women were obsessed about their weight to the extent of having an eating disorder, they are concerned with keeping themselves slim. The young woman who is attending Penang and expressed her desire to lose weight from her male friends is perhaps the most extreme in her dieting.

I have not always been skinny so they used to tell me to eat a lot of food so I can grow a lot. I don't like getting fat. I was really fat when I was in Form Three so I went on a diet. I don't eat at lunchtime - at lunch I never eat. In the morning and then after school. Before I was around 70 kg. and now I am 40 or 50 kg.

It is apparent that this young woman is very concerned with her weight, not only losing a significant amount of weight in just a few years but remaining dedicated to controlling her present weight. "When I am in school I am very concerned about my work so when I get hungry I just go to the lab and do one experiment so I can forget about my hunger." Thus, no matter how great her appetite throughout the day, she will do anything to keep her mind off of it.

A second woman, who is a student at Fiji Institute of Technology (FIT), also commented on the result of male influence on female body image.

[I] used to be concerned with weight and [I] was on a diet at FIT last year. My boyfriend told me I should lose some weight and I went on a diet. In my opinion this is why girls go on diets for the most part - because of the reactions of the males to their body figure and weight.

The effect which male influence has over young woman in relation to their body image and weight is significant. Women at a young and unmarried age are quite vulnerable and thus genuinely concerned about how they are perceived by their possible suitors. Food restriction seemed to be frequent among the women. A single teacher living in the village with her family admits to having restricted food in order to lose weight.

When I was in Suva I was double my size and I used to diet. No breakfast and no lunch - just tea and then dinner, I had to cover it. Sometimes once a week I do that. It helps me to feel thinner.

This woman did not suggest that she was interested in losing weight because she wanted to be healthy but because she wanted to lose weight. A woman in the village who stays thin will be more likely to find a husband and attract men at a time when marriage is desired.

Although the young women attending the University of the South Pacific admitted to not being concerned with her weight, she did mention that most young women who are living in the city of Suva and attending the school are concerned.

Some of my friends they diet. Pills - they take diet pills to stop their hunger. One of my cousins she was wanting to lose weight and the doctor put her on a soup diet. So she was supposed to have soup three times a day - breakfast, lunch, and dinner and she did it for two days and she couldn't do it any longer so she stopped it.

Aside from controlling what they eat, this example shows that college aged women are taking diet pills in order to control how much they eat, virtually inhibiting their appetite so they will not eat.

Other young and unmarried women in the village admitted to restricting certain foods because they were known to cause weight gain.

Most of us we eat a lot of starchy foods like casssava. We eat starchy foods for lunch, starchy foods for dinner. I eat fish and lovo (food cooked in an earth oven) and a little bit of red meat. Not too much cassava and not too much dalo (taro) just a little bit - one slice. I don't eat a lot of cassava just one piece or two because starchy food it makes you heavy.

Thus the non-carbohydrate dieting which has become another dieting fad in the United States is also common among some Fijian women living in the villages. This young woman, hosting a colleague of mine, was also heard mentioning numerous times throughout our two and half month stay that she only a small amount of starch on a particular day. It was no coincidence that she limited her intake of starch; she was trying to control her weight.

Most of the young women who were concerned with their weight and had some level of control over their weight acknowledged that it was very difficult to diet in the village particularly when it came to exercise.

If they want to lose weight you are going to see them running in the morning and the afternoon. Just jogging around. Some of these fat ladies they can't even wake up in the morning and then you see them running in the morning. And you say, "Oh this lady wants to lose weight because she is huge." Normally only girls, unmarried women. But women if they are running they want to lose weight.

This young woman makes reference to the fact that women who are running have a desire to lose weight and in addition that the majority of these women are young and unmarried. It is not that they are unaware that if they do not exercise they will gain weight but it is uncommon for women in the village to exercise and thus those who do choose to exercise are often laughed at by other women. According to one young woman, "Women who jog every morning, that's like Fijians to tease." So while women attempt to control their weight through food restrictions and dieting, exercise in the village is not a significant component of daily life. Perhaps it is the sheer visibility of exercising; more people are likely to notice a woman exercising than they are to notice that she is dieting. Therefore, because the desire to lose weight is not highly praised within Fijian society, women are more likely to opt for food restriction and dieting as opposed to exercise because there is less of a chance that others will notice and tease them for their actions.

Away from the village, in the capital of Suva, one young woman who is a student at the University of the South Pacific tells me that many of the women at the school exercise daily.

People go to the gym - most of the people. I have only been once because mostly when you go to the gym there are many people working on the cycle machines and the treadmills but me I don't like to watch myself in the mirror. In the afternoons we (the young woman and her roommates) can see a lot of people jogging on the street.

Exercising in the city occurs more frequently than in the villages because there is more focus on the individual self and less on the community as a whole. Whereas in the villages the group of men and women are focused on the solidarity of the group, in the cities there is more opportunity to focus on oneself rather than a group of people. Thus women and men in the city can devote more of their time to caring for their bodies.

The lack of communal pressure in the city also makes it easier to restrict eating and skip meals. In the village the community is strengthened by the actions of the group, and eating meals together is quite common. When someone refuses a meal they are virtually refusing the care of the group and thus weakening the togetherness of the village.

Clearly from the interviews with the young Fijian women, they experience some conflict between sociocentric values and losing weight. Hence when asked about good appearance, none of the women brought up weight immediately because the focus on one's body, and in turn one's self, is not the right way to think in Fijian culture. Rather, the women knew that the "correct" answer in Fijian society about attractiveness was one that emphasized respectful behavior and not weight. But at a young age, the women face pressure to remain slim while at the same time their ability to do so is restricted by all the teasing they face since the concern with self is not socially valued. This is distinctly different from the American situation where people see slimness as manifesting good character traits. In Fiji, slimness either shows neutral or negative character traits. Young women just want to stay slim for the pragmatic reason that young men find slimness attractive.

Ideas about Attractiveness among Young Indo-Fijians

Following the interviews with the young women in the Fijian villages, a group of Indo-Fijian women at the local high school were also interviewed to decipher their ideas about body image and assess how their different culture affected their control. The results of these interviews were at best suggestive since I did not have the opportunity to get to know these women well or to find much out about their home lives. However, I did find that the Indian girls I interviewed stressed the extreme discipline that they exercised over their diet and exercise regime. While I was not able to come to a wider sense of what these women valued, this emphasis on discipline (familiar to an American) suggests a culture which values control of the self and sees slimness as a manifestation of this valued character trait. The four women were asked about concerns with their appearance and then more specifically about diet, exercise and the desire to lose weight. The Indo-Fijian population in Fiji is quite different from the Fijian population in that on the whole they are more individualistic than the Fijians. A prime example is that they live in houses with their immediate families and not in villages with extended family. The ideology of Indo-Fijians seemed similar to the ideology of Americans that promoted individualism. The cultivation of the body is reflected as a measure of character and thus unlike the Fijian women who are concerned about their weight because they want to attract a husband, the Indo-Fijian women are concerned about their weight because they want to exert self-control and discipline over their bodies.

One sixteen-year old woman expressed her concerns about weight and dieting, relating the size of her body to her personality. She told me that she wanted to change her appearance so that she can be "slim and nice," thus equating body weight with personality. Another young Indian woman, fifteen years old, also expressed the attitude that a good figure would make her a better person. She wants to change her appearance because, "[w]hen I look in the mirror I want to nice and beautiful so I want my figure to be the right shape." Both of these women equate their appearance with the way they will be perceived by others. A good figure portrays a good character; slimness becomes a reflection of personality. The five Indian women who were interviewed all expressed a large concern for their weight as reflected in their commitments to strict diet and exercise regimes. These women are all very slim as opposed to the Fijian women whom are their fellow students at Penang. A sixteen year old woman responded that she weighed forty-seven kilograms and that she wanted to weigh between thirty-five and thirty-seven kilograms. When these figures are converted to pounds the woman would like to weight between seventy-seven and eighty-two pounds. In order to accomplish this weight loss she restricts herself from certain foods. "I don't eat fatty foods, especially beef and cheese. I don't eat them. I eat a lot of vegetables, a lot of cabbage, and fruits. They are my favorite." It was somewhat surprising that this young woman would discipline herself, avoiding certain foods, seeing that her present weight was quite low for a sixteen year old woman. However, when considering the individualistic culture of which the young woman is a part, the self-discipline that she reflects in her dieting is related to the attitude of the culture. Her strict control exemplifies a certain strength, her weight a representation of her strong personality.

Another one of the woman, fifteen years of age, also expressed a concern about her weight saying that she was not happy with her appearance. Again, she described her diet and exercise management in strict terms. She avoids eating fatty foods such as mutton, corned beef, fish and snacks. Rather she eats a lot of vegetables and root crops. In addition to her rigid diet, she exercises daily. "I used to run with my cousin brother and then after running do press ups and sit ups. I wake up at 5:30 in the morning to run and return to my house by 6:45 to get ready for school." This young woman has a regimented schedule where she wakes up early each morning to exercise; a contrast from the Fijian young women, who as a result of their culture are discouraged to exercise because it disagrees with the communality of the society. However for Indian women who are more encouraged to display individualism, exercise is one way for these women to do so.

The next woman was also unhappy with her weight and admitted considerations of vomiting after eating certain foods. She was conscious about how much she weighed saying, "I weigh myself once a week on the scale in our house because I want to see if I am the right weight or not." Her view expresses that she believes she should maintain a specific weight. In addition, the scale in her families home is another reflection of the importance or rather the focus on weight in Fijian-Indo culture. Seemingly men and women take a concern with their weight and exert a good deal of effort to control their weight, which includes keeping track of it by weighing themselves. This particular woman said she did no diet but continued to say that certain foods made nauseous. "When I eat them [fatty foods] I sometimes feel like vomiting. Now I eat less food because I want to lose weight and I don't eat fried fish or butter." Perhaps her initial denial of dieting although she continues to say that she restricts certain foods stems from the idea that her eating habits seem natural and she is accustomed to eating less of specific foods. Whether this be the case or not, the young woman does make an attempt to control her weight through her eating as well as exercising for about twenty minutes each afternoon.

One of the woman did admit that she was trying to gain weight rather than lose weight at the present time. However it is not a personal choice as much as the recommendation from her doctor. "My doctor said that for my age I am too thin and I am much weaker than I should be." This was not surprising considering that the majority of the women appeared to be underweight. The woman talked about her desire to gain weight but went on to say that she wakes up every morning before school to exercise. "I wake up at 5:00 a.m. and I am usually back by 6:00 or 6:15." While she says she is trying to gain weight and nothing happens, she makes sure she is awake each morning to exercise. Presumably this woman is concerned about her weight but it also might be that while she wants to gain weight, it looks good for her to be waking up to exercise each morning. Her dedication to exercise might be again interpreted as a strong character. The Indo-Fijian women all express a concern for their weight, through restricting what they eat and focusing on exercise as a component of their lives. The cultural attitude of the Indo-Fijian culture is more geared towards individualism and the promotion of the self as the body reflects a person's character. Therefore, these young women manipulate their bodies in an effort to lose weight that in turn will emulate their strong willed and controllable selves.

The next chapter will look at older Fijian women to show that many women say they are more concerned about weight before marriage indicating that the concern with weight among young people does not suggest social change. It is not that younger people are interested in staying slim because they have been exposed to new values but rather it is a reflection of the life cycle of Fijian women. The younger women who are interested in dieting at this stage of their lives probably won't diet once they are married.

On to Chapter 5...