Cameroonian women and girls whose chests
were ironed with hard and heated objects by ther
mothers in a traditional practice tell their
heartbreaking stories.

Breast ironing is the pounding and massaging of
a pubescent girl’s breasts, using hot tools, to try
to make them stop developing or to
disappear. It is typically carried out by family
members who are trying to protect the girl from
sexual harassment and rape. They hope it will
aslo prevent early pregnancy that would tarnish
the family name, or to allow the girl to pursue
education rather than be forced into early
marriage.

It is mostly practiced in parts of Cameroon,
where boys and men may think that girls whose
breasts have begun to grow are ready for
sex. The most widely used implement for breast
ironing is a wooden pestle normally used for
pounding tubers. Other tools used include
leaves, bananas, coconut shells, grinding stones,
ladles, spatulas, and hammers heated over
coals.

Cindy, 14 years old; and a wooden spatula that
has been used for breast ironing. Photo credit:
Gildas Paré
“Every morning, before going to school, my mom
makes me lift up my top so she can make sure I
haven’t taken my bandage off. It’s been two
years now and she still checks it on a daily
basis. It’s humiliating. I’d like her to stop. When
I grow up, I want to be a lawyer or play piano. I
hope that wearing this bandage will help me to
continue my education.” – Cindy, 14 years old.

Jeannette, 28 years old. Photo credit: Gildas
Paré
“Having breasts was shameful. My grandmother
noticed mine when I was 10. One night, she
made me lie down on a bamboo bed by the fire.
She pressed on me with a hot wooden spatula
and tried to flatten them. Even now, I don’t
want people to touch my chest.” – Jeannette, 28
years old.

Carole B., 28 years old; and berry pits are also
used to flatten the breast Photo credit: Gildas
Paré
“When my breasts started to grow, people in my
house began to talk about it. Neighbors, my
mom’s friends, our elders. So much talking!
Even I started to feel ashamed because people
were talking about it. Eventually, my mom
decided to iron my breasts. ‘If we don’t iron
them, it will attract men. And we know that men
mean pregnancy,’ she said. We needed to kill
those breasts, she claimed. She used hot rock
on my right boob, then the left, then the right.
This went on for weeks. I suppose she meant
well. Breasts are what makes a woman
beautiful, though. Today, mine are flabby. They
can’t even stand.” – Carole B., 28 years old.

Carole N., 28 years old. Photo credit: Gildas Paré
“They tell you: ‘Don’t scream, it’s for your own
good.’ I haven’t had the courage to talk about it
to my children yet. Three days ago, my son
asked me, ‘Mommy, why do you have small
breasts?’ I told him that I didn’t know. I also
have a six-year-old daughter. But I’m not ready
to talk about it. I would have loved to
breastfeed a future president.” – Carole N., 28
years old.

Doriane, 19 years old. Photo credit: Gildas Paré
“I was eight when my mother told me: ‘Take
your top off. Do you have breasts already? When
a girl your age has breasts, men look at her.’ I
didn’t understand what she was doing. Every
day, sometimes three times a day, she would
flatten my chest with a hot spatula. She would
just say: ‘It’s for your own good.’ It was a
nightmare. I noticed that the more she
massaged me, the more my breasts grew. When
she realized it wasn’t working, she used a rock.
That was hell. It felt like my body was on fire. A
guidance counselor, who I told everything, tried
to talk to my mom and get her to stop. I was
happy because I thought it was over. But she
did it again—with heated fruit pits this time. She
massaged and massaged. I packed my stuff and
moved to my aunt’s immediately. Sometimes, I
try to understand my mother’s actions. It hurts
so much when I look at myself in the mirror.” –
Doriane, 19 years old.

African's are truly backward, thank GOD 4 civilization....

QueenEdna:
African's are truly backward, thank GOD 4 civilization....

You are ryt. BTW nice butts u gat.

omo if them still won rape them dem go rape them no be bobby dem dey rape nah bah bobby rapistvdey look before him rape woman

So they won't attract men

make shekau catch them. I weep for d black race,God help us.

osaslord500:





You are ryt. BTW nice butts u gat.

Nonsense!

when will they start ironing pussy

I swear I didn't write pussy

Jeannette, 28 years old. Photo credit: Gildas
Paré
“Having breasts was shameful. My grandmother
noticed mine when I was 10. One night, she
made me lie down on a bamboo bed by the fire.
She pressed on me with a hot wooden spatula
and tried to flatten them. Even now, I don’t
want people to touch my chest.” – Jeannette, 28
years old.

speechless!!! witches masquerading as "mothers".

Sweet Jesus

hamzia:
Cameroonian women and girls whose chests
were ironed with hard and heated objects by ther
mothers in a traditional practice tell their
heartbreaking stories.

Breast ironing is the pounding and massaging of
a pubescent girl’s breasts, using hot tools, to try
to make them stop developing or to
disappear. It is typically carried out by family
members who are trying to protect the girl from
sexual harassment and rape. They hope it will
aslo prevent early pregnancy that would tarnish
the family name, or to allow the girl to pursue
education rather than be forced into early
marriage.

It is mostly practiced in parts of Cameroon,
where boys and men may think that girls whose
breasts have begun to grow are ready for
sex. The most widely used implement for breast
ironing is a wooden pestle normally used for
pounding tubers. Other tools used include
leaves, bananas, coconut shells, grinding stones,
ladles, spatulas, and hammers heated over
coals.

Cindy, 14 years old; and a wooden spatula that
has been used for breast ironing. Photo credit:
Gildas Paré
“Every morning, before going to school, my mom
makes me lift up my top so she can make sure I
haven’t taken my bandage off. It’s been two
years now and she still checks it on a daily
basis. It’s humiliating. I’d like her to stop. When
I grow up, I want to be a lawyer or play piano. I
hope that wearing this bandage will help me to
continue my education.” – Cindy, 14 years old.

What a hell

Why are Africans this backward


So this is it ....and its too bad