Celebrity's Body, shape, and size.
The first time and only time I have ever been in a court of law were because my mother dragged me to Court. Yes, she did! I was less than 13 years old. In my Koko shoe, with my ready-made pink gown and my police cap hairstyle(if you don't know this hairstyle, call me Aunty from today henceforth). She held my hand as we walked towards the Court. Mum had dragged me to Court to hear how lawyers presented their cases with eloquence and logic (I hope they still do). Mum said English was stampeding on the highway of my tongue (Woni English ko mi lenu), and she couldn't pay such a huge amount of money in school fees, and English was crawling on my tongue. Half of this English-speaking problem would have been solved, and I won't be in Court that day if only my mother had listened to my Dad that we attend public school. If you have read one of my posts, you know why. Not only that, Mum made me watch Justice Oputa in the widely televised Oputa Panel, listening to the likes of Gani Fawehinmi and Femi Falana like I was planning for a Bar exam. Thankfully, Court was out of session by the time we got there. It wasn't only court my mother dragged me to; I was also forced to listen to Aunty Funmi Iyanda's New Dawn on TV before leaving for school or while preparing for school because Mum admired her brain and the ways she articulated her points. Even though Mum can't speak English, she often claims that the body language of her Guest suggests she was asking them the right question. So, eloquence and brilliance were always an aspiration and a must, whether I liked it or not.
Similarly, when I realized that I might be beautifully sculptured in the similitude of palaces like my mother and many African women I knew growing up, I was careful to always think about how I might want to be molded. The indication that I would occupy space was always there, even when people called me lepa shandi(a Nigeria colloquial for an extremely slim person). This increasing awareness, coupled with university days when screen Divas like Mercy Johnson and Genevieve Nnaji were the standard of feminine body and beauty, respectively. These were the days before the popularity of fitfam, body mass index, calories, hourglass body and waist trainers, obesity, body image, bodily recreation, aesthetic surgeries, and anorexia, among several others. To be sure, not that these ideas did not exist, but they did not dominate the public consciousness the way they did today. If you give people today options of what they want to be, they have different preferences. Some men wish for the money of Obi-Cubana, the body of RMD, and the power of a leader that does nothing but picks their teeth. Some want the bedroom power of, who knows, and the influence of Olamide Baddo. I heard someone say; If Dr. Popoola can like Asake that much, I want women to be falling over me like Asake. Women wish to have different options. At a point, I might have "order" for the eloquence and brain of Aunty Funmi Iyanda, the body of Mercy Johnson, and the Beauty of Genevieve Nnaji.
Whether we like to accept it or not, attractiveness, desirability, fitness, and visual appeal, established along the lines of femininity and masculinity, are indispensable in how we live in today's world. It could be one of the reasons that old men are on treadmills, the campaign trail, and everything to prove to the electorate and admirer that they can "gbe e de be" ( they can carry you there), whatever that means. As I study and track current events with my ongoing research, it becomes more challenging and interesting to map changes and continuity in body, shape, and size. Specifically, I asked how accountable celebrities should be about their life with fans. Should celebrities always give a disclaimer like "do as I preach, not as I do". did Teni ask anyone not to lose weight if they want? What is fatphobia, really?
My "future" research is on gender and popular music. How will I do that without touching on body, shape, and size? When I was growing up, women intentionally tied George Rappers and put a cloth in their midsection to create a semblance of an extra tummy as evidence of good living. Now wahala for who no get flat tummy. Yansh nko? Now, Nigerian popular artiste Naira Marley said, won travel lo sedi yen.
Because I don't want to write my next project on social media, it won't give me my next pali. I will stop here. But to read more, the reference below might interest you.
Strings, S. (2020). Fearing the black body: The racial origins of fatphobia.
Congratulations to Mummy of Lagos Teni Apata on her choice or whatever circumstance prompted her decision.
Posted on Facebook on January 10, 2023.
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