The Modern Day Housewife

I've noted time & time again, that Nigeria is a patriarchal society where women are domesticated & positioned in a subordinate role to the man in both the workplace and the home. It should come as no shock, then, that women view men as ATMs, ready to dispense with cash at their request. I remember a few International students in my Undergrad groaning about the strain of their course, and stating that it was all pointless as they intended to place their diplomas on their shelves and stick to shopping, societal parties and daycare (or watching the child minder take CARE of your child during the DAY...same difference right?). However, what I am noting is a slow shift back to those dark ages for the western world as well.

This ankara top & scarf is older than I am & belongs to my mother

How so, you may ask? Well, I'm not referring to the bums on the dole (not stereotyping...please allow me to land), rather the age of the e-housewife. For those of us who watch endless mindless reality TV shows, you will be plenty aware of the day-to-day workings of a housewife (no matter the county). She shops, decorates, fine dines and guzzles the finest of wine, spiels thought provoking quotes she skimmed through in a fashion magazine and occasionally engages in fist-a-cuffs (but the latter is optional). The how, is via the e/i-life; the boom of youtubers and bloggers who've made sharing their purchases (hauls), showcasing their style (lookbooks) or flaunting their beat faces (selfies) their full-time jobs.

Freedom Park, Lagos...attended the Afropolitan Vibes Anniversary Concert, drank palm wine & ate my first ever vegan meal

Its admirable to pay your mortgage from the comfort of your living room, but to what end? Dressing only your top half in a well-lit left corner of your room, to speak to your very expensive DSLR camera is...well...if you'd told me people would be making a career out of this 10 years ago, I'd have called you crazy. But in 2014, its normal. I commend it, I honestly do. However, what I beg to question is the message lying behind it. Well educated young girls are throwing away their careers and future to bask in vanity. From a christian perspective, I see big issues with that. Not in a judgmental sense, but just in a beg-to-question sense. I love those who are using their platforms to impact the lives of young girls in a positive way, but I fear that their positions are effectively auto-glassing the glass ceiling, and further cocooning women in a glass bubble.

Whats the difference between a youtuber and a housewife? Both shop endlessly and sometimes mindlessly (as I know a few who just buy, to buy & follow trends). Both rush back to share with bargains with their girlfriends. Both have made a hobby, a job. Both fine dine, and delight in fine wine. Both vacation more times that is healthy, or can be considered a vacation when your job is in essence, a long-term vacation. My fear is that while women are comfortably cocooned in their bedrooms, living off the multibillion platforms men have built from the welfare grounds up, men are out there carving out niches for themselves aside from the present. Whats being promoted is a lifestyle that prides beauty, fashion and style above brains, intellect and substance. I beg the question, why can't these young girls do both?

Onyxsta says...BLEURGH!! I say we call a stop to a culture thats applauding girls for ditching the city 9-5 to become glorified housewives