A dance craze sweeping the Côte d'Ivoire is driving the nation's females to unhealthy lengths to augment the size of their asses.

Not kidding! DJ Mix and DJ Eloh's hit song "Bobaraba," which means "big bottom" in the Djoula language, is, according the the buttoned-down BBC, "guaranteed [to have] the dance floor…packed with people shaking their derrieres."

The "Back That Ass Up" of Africa, "Bobaraba," according to DJ Mix, was made to honor the female form: "We made it as a tribute to women, because African women are defined by the shape of their bottoms."

We're very resistant to the idea that any woman, regardless of nationality, is defined by her parts. Oddly, many women are not. And for some, a plump rear is worth the dangerous cosmetic procedures snake oil salesmen say will give them one. To wit:

"You need to inject this liquid into your bottom once a day," says a market trader, showing a vial of coloured liquid labelled "Vitamin B12". Each vial costs $2. The label claims it is made in China.

If you do not like the sound of injections, the same amount of money will also get you a small tub of cream. There is no description of what the product contains or how to apply it; just the words "Big bottoms and big breasts", and two illustrating pictures.

Local gynaecologist Dr Marcel Sissoko is sceptical about the concoctions. "This medicine could be dangerous for your health because we don't know the ingredients. It's being used without a medical prescription," he warns.

Obviously: "…Dr Victoria Drake says she knows of no scientific evidence that vitamin B12 can be used to treat anything except vitamin B12 deficiency."

After the jump, the Bobaraba. Is it worth an ass infection?

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Scientists don't study eating disorders among black women. I guess they don't think they exist in our community. The truth is, I know more black women with body dysmorphic disorder and food issues than I do white women, and more and more are jumping on the "I hate my body" train the older I get.

A story in the Raleigh News & Observer points to recent hip hop videos, which showcase ever-skinnier models and dancers. For the first time, someone is wondering how that might affect black women.

Although a thicker body is definitely prized more among blacks than whites, there was really no way that the impossibly thin trend in Hollywood would not trickle down to the faux celebrities in rap videos, and then further down to the regular girls out there watching the women on television and in movies.

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