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Monday, February 9, 2015

Polygamy among the Wodaabe: men wearing makeup, and women choosing their husbands


Among the Wodaabe of Niger, it’s the men who wear makeup in the hopes of attracting a woman. They practice polygyny, but aren’t strictly patriarchal. Every year all the men and women gather for a festival in which women choose men. If a woman chooses a new man at the festival, she can just go with him and become his wife instead. Divorce is done without much fuss, and women stay in marriages for as many years as they want.

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