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A week back or so, there was a lady trending after appearing in a Nairobi club where she was recorded as having dressed so skimpily to the point that she was almost naked. The half-naked lady was recorded partying and having fun seeming not to care about exposing herself. The pictures and video rotated heavily on social media and most people were outright shocked at the nerve and the outright display of, for a lack of a better word, ‘ratchetness’.
The identity of the lady has since been established and for editorial reasons, we have chosen not to feature her name or her social handles on this post. Publicity, it seems, is what she was after and we won’t be part of publicizing her. The incident showed how low people are willing to stoop to acquire fame. In Kenya, especially, it seems that the bar is being lowered every day, and the standards of decency are being discarded little by little.
The Unfortunate and Unacceptable ‘Raunchy-to-be-Famous’ Idea
The idea that to acquire fame one has to expose themselves or do something crazy or ‘raunchy’, to have people talking, is unfortunate. It shows the kind of degradation of morals that is being flagged off as acceptable in an ever-secularized and digital world. Social media has had its good points but has also given people a platform where they can instigate conversation by acting or behaving in an indecent and unacceptable way. This is especially true for ladies who with each passing day are seemingly getting tired of clothing, on, and off social media.
Kenya is a majorly Christian country and for many, it is unfortunate that the youth are losing their way and their morals. Kenyan culture also sets certain norms and principles to guide people on how to dress, how to act, and how to relate with one another. As such, many are dumbfounded by the public display of immorality, low-self respect, and a lack of self-esteem on social media and beyond.
Our African Morals are Everything!
The world is becoming increasingly westernized and as much as that is a good thing, we believe that we should uphold our own culture and morals more than we adopt foreign cultures and behavior. We accept and respect that the world is changing and that everyone has a right to dress and act how they want, but feel that that is no excuse to do away with dignity.
Fame comes and goes and we do not see seeking or wanting fame as an excuse or reason to disrespect yourself and those that care about you by being immoral or exposing yourself. The lady in question came under a lot of criticism even as others felt that she was within her rights to dress, or not dress, how she wants. There were even reports that she was a ‘call girl’ who was out clubbing looking for clients. We think that this is wrong and as Kenyans, and even everyone around the world, we can do far much better.
Increased Immorality in Kenyan Universities
Kenyan youth, especially university students, are increasingly in the spotlight for the wrong reasons. There have been numerous instances of college students ending up as escorts or even prostituting themselves to make ends meet. The COVID-19 pandemic is said to have further exacerbated such instances and more and more college students are entering life-threatening habits, including performing sex work, to mitigate the tough financial times.
Some say that the reason this is happening is due to a systemic failure in leadership in Kenya and that more should be done in terms of welfare. Students should be afforded scholarships and accommodation and everything else they need to complete their studies. Even so, others believe that we are increasingly being sold lavish lifestyles on social media, pushing others to do all that is possible to try and acquire such wealth and lifestyles.
Don’t Fall for the Fake Lifestyles of Social Media or the ‘Blesser’ Culture
It would be very unfortunate for our generation to become the generation that watered down our principles and morals and we feel that we can do better. Whatever you see on social media is curated and almost all of the lavish lifestyles being portrayed are fake. People do all manner of things to appear wealthy and some will even be exuberant on social media with things that are not theirs. It is, therefore, callous to imitate such people and put yourself into situations where you could end up in a ditch somewhere.
You Don’t Need a Blesser to be Blessed!
Even more, the ‘blesser’ or ‘sponsor’ culture where wealthy individuals will finance the lavish lifestyle of young women and men in exchange for romantic relationships is not proper. Many youths are finding themselves in abusive relationships and some have even been injured or killed, by the significant others of their blessers. These events and other similar ones show an erosion of morals and we are here to denounce them. We can do far much better and let no one lie to you that there is anything like easy money.
True Wealth is Sown in Hard Work
True wealth is acquired through hard, dignified work and it takes time to get to a point where one is living in a mansion or driving an expensive car. Instead of choosing the shortcut or exposing yourself to become famous, seek to find true wealth through dignified hard work and build a life for yourself. A blesser won’t ‘bless’ you forever and when being an ‘escort’ no longer works for you, you will have nowhere to go and none of your ‘fans’ will go out of their way to help you out. We condemn all manners of immorality and ‘ratchetness’ and do not believe in fame or wealth that is acquired through immoral or self-disrespectful acts.
