A sample of women recently interviewed by me in downtown Monrovia did not mince words when they said they enjoy spending hugely on their looks than on a healthy diet or nutritional products.
“The healthy diet you are talking about will cost me so much and will only be good for eating within seconds, minutes. Take for instance, if I want to prepare a vegetable stew for lunch; that will cost me at least US$50 or more to get all the necessary ingredients from the supermarket and the meat. But that US$50 can get for me a very beautiful pair of flat heel shoes that I would enjoy wearing for the next couple of months,” one of the ladies said.
Life is not only about the belly, another one added, it is also about looking gorgeous.
Well, this is no joke. The slogan you often hear most young Liberian women say nowadays is, “looking good is a business.”
Usually, this statement comes after they have spent so many US dollars on hair, clothes or shoes. For them, the saying only helps to comfort them. But in actual sense, is simply another excuse to spend more on themselves.
They want to look good and are, indeed, comfortable with the notion that a certain amount of pressure is placed on them to do so.
Obsessed with the latest beauty trends and maintaining a perfect look, these young women care very little about their inner health. For them, once they have scored that perfect look, all other health worries can be laid to rest. The imbalance in their lifestyle is expanding by the day.
Some go on spending up to US$300 on just a suit made of quality African textile like Vlisco or the most glamorous bazin fabric. It is no joke that women generally spend a lot of money on clothes for themselves and sometimes for their children and partners. But when it comes to their own clothing, they don't always make the wisest financial decisions.
It is about wearing that latest fashion or the most quality fabric in order to become the center of attraction. A friend of mine once told me that she has stopped attending girls’ clubs in her neighborhood because “whenever we gather for a meeting on how to progress as a group, the topic that dominates the agenda will always be centered on how to attain the latest bazin or Vlisco or the latest gold necklace in town.”
“What these conversations do to me is that they put more pressure on me and cause me to worry a whole lot because I’ve got nowhere to get those things and be on par with the others,” she lamented.
This is not a unique case. Most Liberian women spend more money on their looks. A typical young Liberian woman spends an average of US$50 per week on hair products, US$100 on make-up, US$50 on handbag and shoes.
The latest dinner purse in town costs between US$50 to US$100. But if you see the amount of young women flocking in the boutiques and shops on Mechlin and Randall Streets on Friday and Saturday afternoons to buy these bags, you might think they only cost around L$150.
Strolling down this central business district of Monrovia on last Saturday, I could only accept the hard fact that indeed, Liberian women enjoy spending cash on looking their best. I mean they spend so much money on beauty products than on nutritional food and other health-related matters – it's a matter of image, not health.
In any case, having a balanced lifestyle should be a priority to everyone.
The Liberian Mandingo girls are hugely guilty of everything you mentioned in this article.
ReplyDeleteI don't think is only the Mandingo girls, this is problem with all young girls of our time.
ReplyDelete