The First Lady of Nigeria didn’t hold bad when sounding off on scantily-clad celebrities visiting her country and dressing inappropriately while doing so. Particularly, Meghan Markle, wife to former Prince Hary and Duchess of Sussex, recently visited the country and appears to have sparked the post with her revealing outfits while in the country.
The comment came from Senator Oluremi Tinubu, the wife of Nigerian President Bola Tinubu. Though she did not mention Markle specifically in the post and call her out as someone who dresses in an inappropriate, revealing manner, instead indicating that American celebrities generally dress that way, the comments did come after Markle’s visit with Harry, indicating that Markle sparked it.
Tinubu said, the New York Post reports, “We have to salvage our children.” She continued, explaining that the all-pervasive “nakedness” is a problem that Nigeria needs to avoid, particularly as it seems only women are encouraged to dress in that way. She said, “We see the way they dress. We are not having the Met Gala. And everyone, the nakedness, is just everywhere and the men are well-clothed.”
Continuing, she explained that scantily clad celebrities and those imitating them need to be told that Nigerians neither accept their revealing outfits nor view those outfits as beautiful. “Tell them we don’t accept nakedness in our culture,” she said. She continued, saying, “That is not beautiful. It’s not beautiful at all.”
Additionally, the New York Post reports, Tinubu said that girls should learn to be comfortable with who they are rather than trying to please others with revealing outfits. She said, “They’re all beautiful girls, but they should be confident in who they are.” She added, “We are fashionable, we see what is going on.”
Further, speaking about the role of women in society, Tinubu spoke about women and the importance of home life for national prosperity. She began, “When mothers stand with you, the house is in order.” She continued, “Looking ahead, we must endeavor to become the unifying force in our homes and our communities, to bring about greater prosperity for our nation.”
And, though Tinubu didn’t explicitly mention Markle as being one of those who dressed explicitly, she did bring up Markle elsewhere in her speech, indicating that the duchess was on her mind when she spoke about dress. In any case, speaking about Meghan, she said, according to the New York Post, “Why did Meghan come here looking for Africa? That is something we have to take home with [us]. We know who we are. Don’t lose who you are.”
Watch her speech here:
The New York Post added that Markle’s outfits were seen as far too revealing, both for a woman visiting a majority Muslim country with very traditional views on sex, and for a member of the royal family, however disconnected from it now, as Buckingham Palace would have arranged for her to wear far less revealing outfits. It reported:
Markle and Prince Harry’s trip to Nigeria, intended to promote the Invictus Games, garnered mixed reactions.
Some experts criticized Markle’s choice of expensive and revealing outfits, suggesting she could have shown “more modesty” in a country where just over half of the population are Muslim.
One fashion expert noted that Markle “bared too much skin” and would likely have dressed more conservatively had the trip been organized by Buckingham Palace.
Similarly, on X, a Nigerian account said, “Nigeria is religious and conservative. So why would the ex-royal Meghan who wore jackets in LA summer while in Nigeria when all her outfits are sleeveless, backless, low cut, low vneck, long slit? Who packed the bag? And her message is for Nigerian girls to see themselves in her?”
SOURCE: theamericantribune.com