The Woman Then and Now

I was arguing with a friend about how good people looked back in the day especially in a black and white photo, way before the colour photograph was incorporated. I argued that they tried as much as possible to keep their physical appearance natural. He argued that the look mainly came from the quality of the photo. I still dispute that as currently, technology has brought beauty in everything, even something that is supposed to be downright ugly.

I will therefore begin describing women from that time our mothers were still being courted by our daddies. The average woman had an all round figure. Not thin, not fat, simple. Every feature she possessed was in place. The hair had the right colour of jet black, texture and length. No weaves existed then and for the few that did, they were only worn by sex workers. The face was more often flawless, mainly chocolate in complexion, full cheeks, full lips and bright eyes that looked back at you with the innocence of a saint. A face you would protect with your life if you were a man. The rest of the body screamed firmness as women always had all kinds of errands to run and take care of the family at the same time. The dressing was also very simple and to the point. A buttoned up blouse or round neck, a well fitting skirt or dress that reached way above the knees yet long enough not to be provocative. The tailors back then knew how to cut the length and width of every clothing a woman wore, just about the right size to leave some imagination. The shoes were of a platform nature that made their shapely legs look even longer. I may not be good in the description but am sure you pretty much have a sketch if not the real picture.

The modern African Woman is not so different from the one from the past. The difference is brought about by the environment she lives in or her standard of living. Picture this, a perfectly shaped face with few or no flaws is heavily masked by a cake of make up applied to her eyes, nose and cheeks. The 'bushy' eyebrows are shaved into a line that is enhanced with some colour. The jet black hair can no longer be seen as some artificial hairlike material is weaved into the natural hair, hence the name weave. (men, please don't fall off your seats). Her lips are heavily coloured too, the same with hand and toe nails. Her eyelashes are painted black or gets some additional artificial eyelashes plastered on top of the natural ones. When you try to search for the original face, its gone and you gaze back at another face that either wows or scares the hell out of you. Do not get me wrong on this ladies, make-up is good, heck I wear it too.  In actual fact, it makes you feel confident about yourself but it should be worn with a lot of care and expertise. It shouldn't make you a slave too to an extent of feeling naked without it. More drama is often seen on today's woman's figure.  The figure is highly dictated by her lifestyle, mainly the diet and exercise or lack of it. Recently, it has become more difficult for women to maintain a curvy figure as most women are known to take a lot of alcohol, junk food and hardly exercise as they spend long hours seated while working. The dress code is another story all together. Most women have gotten lucky as the current fashion now provides something for all kinds of shapes and sizes that is flattering. Again, caution should be applied as some of the clothing may send the wrong signals.

God created women as beautiful creatures, who are pleasing to the eye, like the lotus flowers in the autumn.  Therefore we are responsible for taking care of our features as a flower needs watering to keep its bloom. Lets not go overboard with this and you will be surprised at how much people appreciate the 'real you' but groomed look more as opposed to the 'made up' you.