Joana Choumali

Awoulaba/'taille fine'

The Westernization of traditional feminine beauty standards in the Ivory Coast

Text by Maria Anney and images by Joana Choumali.

Awoulaba/taille fine: The gray area

Awoulaba, little queen … here in the Ivory Coast (Akan tribe, Baule language) this is the way to describe a classy, beautiful woman, to highlight the opulence of her thighs, the generosity of her hip size, her voluptuous bottom, her natural black skin, her thick and natural curly hair, her white teeth, and, of course … a narrow waistline! Some traditional beauty standards — and then a notion of beauty shared by many Africans that is enough to make our male ancestors shudder.

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