Fake and unashamed: Nairobi women embrace plastic

One morning last week on my way to work I found myself listening to a radio debate about how Nairobi women today were engaging in ‘false advertising’. That Nairobi women are fake, plastic and unnatural!

Bitter and angry men were called in complaining about how what they saw and liked was not what they got in the end. That they wanted the ‘natural’ women of the older times and were tired of all the fake women in town.

This was a very pretentious argument if you ask me. Because the same men who call themselves victims of ‘false advertising’ by Nairobi women are the same ones who drool over everything fake.

I always get tickled every time I hear men complaining about how they hate weave and wish their women were more natural. Yet they are the first ones who will compliment you when you have a weave on your head (interestingly, they hardly notice it’s a weave).

Do not get me wrong I am not against going natural, I’m just irked by men who claim to want women looking natural, yet they would not know ‘natural’ if they saw it.

On many occasions, I have chosen to ‘go natural’ as far as my hair is concerned; no braids, weave or chemical, and just let my hair roam free. Unfortunately, whenever I do, my male friends, colleagues, and brothers always say something to the effect that I need to do something to my hair. If not, they offer money for me to go to the salon.

I, on the other hand will not pretend or beat around the bush claiming I do not fake it; “real” beauty these days has evolved to the point where you can easily buy it across the counter.

We live in superficial and very vain times where beauty standards are constantly changing depending on what men like. And more often, the standards that are set are either impossible to attain naturally.

Which makes me wonder, what is wrong about faking it? Isn’t it self- improvement or increasing ones market value?

I will not hide in shame because my skin looks smoother and perfect when I apply skin foundation. Being a girl in the world today is very competitive, and after all we are simply giving men what they want—beauty.

I, thus, choose to celebrate all the feminine tools and gadgets that can be used to achieve the ever-illusive standards of beauty placed on us.

I will begin by celebrating gel and acrylic nails for coming into these world, and giving us women perfect dreamy nails. These days if you have those kinds of nails that never grow, or that are not feminine enough, you can go out and buy great nails from across the counter.

HOURGLASS FIGURE

I am also very grateful for make up; because of it we can all have luscious kissable red lips, flawless glowing skin and those long and sexy eye-lashes.

And how can one forget mentioning the magical wonder bra while having this kind of discussion? The bra does magic, to say the least. It makes one’s boobs look full and firm. Throw in a figure belt, corset or body suit, and silicon butt pads and anyone can have that enviable hour-glass figure.

Beauty, these days, is all about faking it, and if you choose this path make sure you do it well, lest it backfires and embarrass you!