Mauritania is a country in West Africa, bordering the Atlantic Ocean. 90% of Mauritania's land is within the Sahara. Mauritania has a population of around 4.3 million people. The largest city is Nouakchott which is home to around one-third of the country's population. 

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The beauty standards in Mauritania are almost the opposite of our Western beauty standards. Around a generation ago, over a third of women in Mauritania were force fed as children. It is said that this practice was to improve a woman's marriage prospect. This country is one of the few African countries where girls are fed more than boys. Today, around only 1 in 10 women are treated this way. The beliefs are that being fat is seen as a sign of wealth and if a girl was thin, she would be considered poor and would not be respected. You can find "fat farms" in more rural parts of the country where the goal is to increase a girl's weight. 

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Over the years, their beliefs have evolved from what they originally were. Today, the perceptions of beauty has a focus on health rather than force-feeding women but the idea of "big and beautiful" is still valued by many.