By Chinelo Nwangene
Nigerian ladies, just like their counterparts across the world, have become increasingly fixated and addicted to cosmetic and sexy lifestyle, in their desperate bid to impress and keep the male folks increasingly enchanted. The wave of cosmetic beautification in the society is becoming stronger and widespread that it is now difficult to see any lady still wearing her natural, God given looks. It is hard these days to find any part of women’s body that are not easily enhanced or altered through cosmetic surgeries or products to enhance beauty outlook. And those who try to mount a resistance campaign against cosmetic lifestyle usually find themselves on the firing line.
For instance, Amara Blessing Nwosu literally stirred up anger and backlash recently when she launched a campaign aimed at highlighting the dangers of cosmetic beauty and lifestyle. The United States based pastor and relationship counselor had on December 22, 2018 counseled Nigerian ladies: “Men are tired of the fake lashes; Men are tired of the 25 inches fake hair; Men are tired of the fake eyeballs; Men are tired of the fake nails; Men are tired of the fake hips; Men are tired of the fake breasts; Men are tired of the fake skin; Men are tired of seeing only fake women; Men are gradually shifting backwards to the 70s and 60s when women were beautiful.
“Ladies, especially black women, please show some self-love and high self-esteem. Celebrate your culture for once! Be yourself. It’s good to look good, but don’t let that define you. That thing becomes a god to you once you can’t do without it. Forget the media lies that say you have to look a certain way to be beautiful; you are beautiful just the way you are. Show off your beauty. Natural is the new sexy.”
But instead of positive reactions, Amara’s anti-cosmetic message drew the ire of most Nigerian ladies on the social media, with many taking out their anger on the controversial relationship coach.
Olu Bunmi, a Lagos based feminist activist fired an angry response: “Women are also tired of listening to trash from fellow women like you and your celibate sister. Just look at a woman who adorns artificial stuff from head to toe telling us what men are tired of. Who told you? Have you been with all the men to know? Those who are close to this my sister should tell her to stop writing nonsense. Women are also tired of a lot of bullshit from some men”, Olu Bunmi fired back.
She adds: “Anything that makes you happy sisters, do it as long as your man likes it and it doesn’t put you or others in harm’s way. The realest female preacher, late Bimbo Odukoya was doing everything to make women discover their own reality. She understood that a woman needs to be herself. But our own Amara thinks otherwise. Inukwa!”
Ngozi Ezunagu also threw a jab at the messenger and her message declaring: “Can you imagine Amara who cannot live without a husband is now getting on the soap box telling other women how to live their lives? I really don’t blame her. It is the people that (still) follow her hook, line and sinker that I blame.
And she went ahead to urge ladies to disregard the natural outlook campaign. According to Ezunagu, any lady who feels good in fake lashes should do it for you. “You feel good with weave? Do it for you! As long as you are not committing a crime and are not intentionally hurting someone, do you my sister!!! You don’t need to be defined by what a woman who seems to desperately need a man in her own life tell you what to do to please a man! Let the men who don’t want fake eyelashes go and get women who do not want fake eyelashes. I would not even have minded if the advice came from a good place. If she is so good at holding on to a man…”.
Adunni Onigege Ara also made similar observation: “But I can see you on hair extension and fixed nails, does it mean you are not the one who typed this post? Awon eyan linda ikeji ati toke makinwa. Social media advisers that do worse. Mstcheewwww”.
Mojisola Wilson fired back in anger: “She has fake hair, fake nails and fake boobs but she wants to give advice about being natural and what men want 😂😂🤦♀… Like Really?! Same woman who has pictures of her partner holding her breast… I can’t jare!!!”
Sonia Adameke adds: “The person saying natural is more beautiful has her nails and face all made up and yet preaches natural? She should be tying wrapper and tying scarf to preach this!”
Buhle Buso equally countered that men’s tiredness of women was not linked to cosmetic beauty enhancement procedures and products but rather lifestyles. She wrote: “I think their tiredness is aimed at you not the things you’ve mentioned. Do not jump into conclusions and think it’s about other girls when the problem is you. And stop dating men who can’t maintain you, the only reason they tell you natural is sexy is because they’re broke.
Emem Etie also took a dimed view of Amara’s post, stressing that “women are tired of women telling women that the world of relationship depends on the dictates of a man’s needs alone!”
Chisom Unigwe who admitted that she sells ‘magnetic lashes for glamorous Queens that want to look beautiful effortlessly without glue”, however insists that cosmetic beauty was not specifically meant to impress men. She wrote: “As for me, I do not do anything cosmetic to impress men; I do it (cosmetic beauty) to impress myself that to me is self love and has so far boosted my self esteem.”
Cynthia Chinelo however observed that men rather love cosmetic beauties more than natural outlooks nowadays. “Men are not tired of those things you mentioned. Just say that you, Amara Nwosu have stopped using them since you married a preacher,” she asserted.
Noxolo Filip, also shares similar perspective, arguing further that it actually costs more to look natural than cosmetic. “I just need to tell you guys being natural are so expensive especially natural hairs please take time when you are at clicks and see what we have to pay for just shampoo, conditioner and all the natural oils we use for the natural hair. Being natural is not always being cheap”, she clarified.
Franklin Anegbu rather queried the validity of her claims, stressing “this post is so misleading and totally riddled with hypocrisy. To even think that a lady sat down to compose this, shows how high she values herself. Be your own self! Stop seeking validation from any human being!!!
Olabisi Faith Olowo however opined that appearing natural or cosmetic does not make any difference nowadays as what’s good for one man may be bad for another. According to her, ladies can only keep men that want to be kept, irrespective of their outward appearance. “If a man doesn’t want you, there is nothing that you do that will please him, even if you make extra efforts to look in a certain way he wants.
She however, defended the crusader stressing that she actually made sense in her campaign, regardless of whether she practice what she preached or not. “She might not be working with the advice she dishes out, but if you know they will work for you, why not follow it to make your home better. At least I know most doctors that don’t take drugs yet he administers it on others.
Edson Makavan, also defended the campaigner. According to Makavan, “this post really touched people’s lives here….I honestly think she didn’t mean any harm to women, she was simply trying to elaborate on how women should be proud of themselves being natural. African people, black people to be more precise, have lost their identity…like they don’t value who they are anymore because they pick European culture as their way”, she defended.