Burkina Faso bans big buttocks beauty contest

Ouagadougou: The government of Burkina Faso has banned an annual beauty contest for women with the biggest buttocks, saying such events are sexist. Adverts for this weekend’s third edition of “Miss BimBim,” carrying an image of two fullyclothed women with exaggeratedly large behinds, provoked an outcry on social media. “Our role is to do everything to avoid damaging the image of women,” said minister Laure Zongo in a statement, adding that social media criticism had persuaded her to act. The male organiser of the event, Hamado Doambahe, said it aimed to promote a more positive body image for African women and encourage fashion designers to use African costumes. Contests like Miss BimBim have been held in other West African countries. Women’s rights groups have mixed views about the tendency.