They say beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, meaning everyone is beautiful depending on who is looking and where they are looking. I say, beauty is in looking more western and expensive. Most women believe that the whiter they look the more beautiful. In the past, our grandparents used powders from stones (letsoku) and animal fat to treat their complexion then the creams that bleach skin were introduced.
Being seen as beautiful is very important to us women well and to some men, this to those with business minds, saw it as a way of making money that is why there are so many beauty products on the market right now.
How far would a woman go to be seen as beautiful and for how much?
Let me describe the beautiful Motswana lady of today starting from head to toe. She has a weave on her head (Indian, Malay) etc which has a price tag of around P2 500.00, which includes connecting it to her scalp/original hair. To reach the light complexion she maintains she takes about P1 500 to P2 000 a month, this money is for buying facial soaps that tones, scrubs and moisturises. Then powder, foundations etc. The face needs a lot of expensive products to reach the western look that is considered beautiful.
The eyes: If a lady has no extended eye lashes, they use mascara to make the lashes look long and thick, then there are eye brow pencils, shadows and some go to the extent of putting coloured contact lenses to change the colour of their eyes. All these including the fake eye lashes, goes close to P3 000.00
The Lips: Because of our weather, our lips dry and chip a lot. This make a person look unhealthy especially when they do not drink a lot of water. To reach that soft wet looking lips we always see from the models in Europe and America, the lips have to be moisturised all the time and to enhance them apply coloured lip gloss or sticks. The lips are the cheapest, they cost around P500.00
The body: Nowadays most if not all women have weight issues. They believe they have to be of a certain size in order for them to look good and feel better. How ladies look in terms of size sometimes depends on the season. Being slightly fat or overweight during winter is seen as ok because they believe it keeps them warm and can always cover up the extra fat with the long coats and the baggy jackets
After the winter season though, it is a busy time for a modern lady. She prepares her body for summer. Looking slender or a bit smaller than your true size is an aim, she wants to look young in summer dresses, shorts and all the other tight clothes that she could not wear in winter to get that ‘sexy look’. This is why we see a lot of ladies hitting the gym and working out just before winter ends, they also try very hard to watch what they eat. Some even go to the extent of using supplements and weight loss products.
Then there is the cellulite and the stretch marks that we (both men and women) are all trying to get rid of so can show a bit of flash in summer and not look like zebras. To get rid of all the nasty cellulite and stretch marks, products such as bio oil, tissue oil, cellulite gel etc always come handy. At the same time, we are trying to keep ourselves so fresh and so clean by removing the hair on our legs, arms and armpit, and that is done by waxing or shaving to keep our skin looking and feeling soft and silky. To get a perfect silky feel and look you can only go to a spa. For a full body massage and do the shaving and all that, you part with about P3 000.
Hands & Nails: Women believe that hands are a giveaway when it comes to one’s age. Looking young and beautiful should start with your hands. In most cultures, hands are used to welcome people. We greet each other by hands; we show affection by hands we also show happiness in a relationship by holding hands. Hands are very important should be cared and be kept clean, healthy and beautiful. Hand creams and sanitizers are a must to clean and moisturise. To make them more beautiful, a modern lady keeps her nails well groomed and painted, if she feels they are not sexy enough, she can always resort fake nails with different colours and paintings. To keep hands sexy and young, dig deep into your pockets.
Feet: Put a foot forward. Most people forget these very important parts of the body, but not the modern lady. Pedicure is an answer to her, get into a spa and you let a beautician do magic. To keep your feet sexy, massage them frequently, keep the nails and the heels clean and pay up.
Salome Bosenyang