The rise in trend of men who wear dresses

Before the main TV channels went off air in the last few weeks, Kenya’s rising comedic talent was a guy who dressed in drag. Shaniqua of the Jameni TV show on KTN strutted her way to national prominence in the most brazen manner. In her wake, everyone was left in stitches.

Shaniqua is a clever parody act on the disturbing phenomenon of Kenyan socialites whose only claim to fame has been largely, the prominence of their backsides.

I watched Shaniqua on the Trend with Larry Madowo where she practically stole the show with her heightened sense of melodrama.

Shaniqua is deliberated dressed like a riff raff, a wannabe socialite, with bad teeth, hairy legs, a cheap weave and all that phoney sophistication that we have come to associate Kim Kardashian fans.

I caught a few other clips on Youtube and against my better judgement, I started reciting her tagline, “nitaku....muuurder”.

It has a very sticky quality. I checked out the comments on video and predictably the women loved her but some men, as we say in these parts, “caught feelings” with typical homophobic slurs thrown about.

Shaniqua, the alter ego of the talented Kevin Mwangi is not the first man to earn a living as a performer dressed in female clothing.

Cross dressing for the purposes of entertainment has been alive and well on school theatre stages for decades.

In mainstream Kenya, the pioneering duo of Nyengese who performed in public in downtown Nairobi to huge crowds, in the late 90s wore skirts, make up, wigs and stuffed parts.

Makes people laugh

The hilarious Redykyulass crew dressed as women on several occasions.

Tony Njuguna pulled off a convincing Oprah Winfrey skit and John Kiare (KJ) did a mean Mama Lucy Kibaki impression.

While drag is mostly associated with gay men and the gay culture, in Kenya cross dressing for entertainment is tolerated, which paints the country as more liberal than most dare admit.

A man can walk around in tight skirt and heels as long as he makes people laugh.

After all, the point of comedy is to push our levels of comfort, take us to places we fear and laugh at our ironies and absurdities. In Shaniqua’s rise to prominence is another social revelation.

Some women have become so made up and addicted to enhanced parts that it is really easy for a man with patience to doll up and pass as female.