Being Beautiful in Nigeria : Asset or Mere Compliment?

Photo Credit : thementedcosmetics. com

"Fine Girl!" "Beautiful Angel!" "My Colour!"

If you live in Nigeria and you're a girl with likeable facial or bodily features, you should be familiar with these catcalls and many more as you walk along busy streets.

Many Nigerians unconsciously put beautiful women in a higher pedestal than many of their counter parts. It could be in matters as small as entering queues undeserved, as said by Doyin , a budding real estate agent or discounted prices on transport, an experience Timi, a young entrepreneur, had with a bike or okada man.

It could also be in matters of more substance, as regards to the workplace. Doyin made mention of certain companies having a unique preference of recruiting beautiful women for their front desk or customer services, as their looks serve as a great boost towards promoting the company. Esther M., a budding entrepreneur is of the opinion that being beautiful could even give you a voice, as you could basically not make any sense and people would still listen to you!

Being beautiful in Nigeria can also be a full time job as well, as one has opportunities of being a face model or a brand ambassador for beauty products, as said by Timi

So with all these being said, being beautiful is definitely an asset right? Maybe, but it is extremely limited as well.

Esther U., a natural hair enthusiast and entrepreneur, and Hadassah, a perfume oil connoisseur, both speak highly of having beauty in character as well, as it tends to speak more volumes for a lady than her physical characteristics. For instance, if you're beautiful but dubious, you are certainly not going to be retained for long.

Lastly, there is also the opinion that being beautiful is not a prerogative at all. Tutu, a Microbiology graduate, says that in Nigeria,connections are more of what would help a woman boost her career than beauty.

So, conclusion? Well, I would say that being beautiful is more of a stepping stone here in Nigeria than anything else. It can take you to the beginning of the racing track, but having a marketable skill set, with the proper virtues, can make you cross the finish line.