L'esthétique corporelle de la femme bamileke au XXe siècle

From the 1900 to 2000, the Bamileke woman has developed diverse strategies for the sake of esthetics and identification. In this study, the very diverse nature of the fundamentals of the corporal esthetics of this grassfield woman and the changes it underwent during its manifestations in the 20th century have been examined. This work was realised through the collection of documents from a variety of sources: written, oral information, observations, material sources, iconography, audio-visual and through internet research. Results obtained showed that the Bamileke woman was still going about naked at the beginning of the 20th century. She exploited natural (wood, clay, blends, fruits, leaves, roots) and cultural (knives, gripers, ornaments) resources to dress and protect herself. She obeyed her ‘ways and customs’ through canons of beauty. Her body was a veritable cultural entity, an identification mark and an indication of her social status in society. Life styles, believes and social relationships were therefore put to test in the traditional Bamileke society. As from the 1920s this western woman progressively left behind her natural and ancestral values to adopt locally manufactured or imported fabrics, ornaments, hair styles and cosmetic products for her body care. This constant search for beauty was accentuated in the 1960s after independence. From 1980-2000, the Bamileke woman has used every means at her disposal to develop her self esteem, to seduce men and to increase her importance in the society. From this research, which centred on the beauty of this western woman, a number of consequences can be signalled. These include sanitary, politic, economic, social and cultural consequences which were manifested either negatively or positively. Some elements that contributed to the elegance of her beauty have remained permanent while others have undergone a
series of changes. Factors responsible for the evolution of the beauty of a Bamileke woman included education, communication, feminine magazines, radio, television and internet.