In more affluent parts of Africa, and in South Africa in particular, modern vehicles and technology devices are enjoying a growing popularity. This sadly also means that numerous Mauritanian girls are being force-fed by their parents or even professional “feeders” to increase their marriage chances. In Mauritania, for example, women of ample proportions are traditionally considered highly attractive, as a high body mass is closely associated with wealth and thus a status symbol. Typical status symbols in Africa vary very much depending on region and social status. So let’s take a look at some status symbols around the world: From Ample Curves to Blackberries Plus, they are not necessarily meant to (only) serve as evidence of one’s wealth, but can just as well showcase one’s ability to fit in with a certain social group. In fact, in a number of cultures status symbols are no longer obvious, in-your-face displays of money, but a bit more subtle.

Nowadays, however, you do not need to have a golden carriage to be the owner of a status symbol. Ostentatious displays of wealth - for example in the form of luxury items, household staff, and exotic food - serve as such “evidence” of one’s “superiority” over peers or subjects. Defined as a “possession that is taken to indicate a person’s wealth or high social or professional status”, or simply as “something that people want to have or do because they think other people will respect or admire them for it” by the Oxford and Cambridge Dictionaries respectively, status symbols are an indisputable part of life, no matter where on the globe you’re living.Īs famous sociologist and economist Thorstein Veblen so fittingly pointed out, “wealth or power must be put in evidence, for esteem is awarded only on evidence”.

Flat chest is a status symbol