Breast Ironing: An African Taboo by Christina Williams

Introduction My mother had her breasts ironed many years earlier. The same thing had been done to her own mother, my grandmother, and to my great grandmother as well. It was a traditional practice, which was handed down through the generations. As soon as a girl started developing breasts, then the girl’s mother would start regularly ironing her breasts. It was done about once a week and maybe more often.