In Mauritania, a West African country situated in between Western Sahara and Senegal, thin isn't considered beautiful. Skinny women are viewed as poor and not able to afford food.

For women to find husbands in Mauritania, they have to be fat. So they force-feed themselves large quantities of camel milk, bread crumbs soaked in olive oil, and goat meat. This practice is referred to as "gavage" — the same name used to describe the force-feeding of ducks to make foie gras.

HBO's new documentary series Vice calls gavage a self-inflicted obesity epidemic. The show sent correspondent Thomas Morton to Mauritania to experience the tradition for himself — and he gained about 10 pounds in two days.