PGI's May Girl- Banke (Businesswoman, Easy Peasy)
Banke and I have talked about many things from flowers, to jobs, to school, to business to marriage, to husbands who like to cook, and to food-processor-made pounded yam. We talk about hair and the care of it. She taught me to have a pair of scissors for my hair; a girl can't use the same pair of scissors to cut up Christmas craft and then trim her hair an hour later, with the same pair. My hair deserved its own pair of scissors, she said. It did? (Don't judge me lol!)...
Banke and I have talked about many things from flowers, to jobs, to school, to business to marriage, to husbands who like to cook, and to food-processor-made pounded yam. We talk about hair and the care of it. She taught me to have a pair of scissors for my hair; a girl can't use the same pair of scissors to cut up Christmas craft and then trim her hair an hour later, with the same pair. My hair deserved its own pair of scissors, she said. It did? (Don't judge me lol!) She always had these really useful tips on her Instagram page and I knew she knew hair. Of course, she had to do something with this passion and skill she had, so we talked some more about dreams and possibilities. Then one day Banke stopped the talking and did something. On this day, I was scrolling through Instagram and on Banke's page was displayed a jar that read "Butter by Banke". She had done it! Just like that! She had launched a hair-care product line- a brand, she was suddenly an entrepreneur! The day that jar popped up on my timeline, I was so excited. She did it! She birthed a dream just like that. Without drama, or drumroll or cymbals. Her story is so simple and inspiring, she'll make you want to start that thing you think is a big deal in a snap!
Here she is, making business look too easy since 2016...
What's your full name?
Oluwabamike Olaoluwakitan Adewale (nee Ogundairo)
Cutest nickname(s)
Bankymoon; Kilolo, short for Bankilolo
Least cute nickname
Ban-ku-seh
My fave quirk about me...
So not sure this is a quirk or normal but most mornings for breakfast I have bagel slathered with crunchy peanut butter and then a dollop of jam to add some sweetness ... a salad for lunch for "a neutralizing effect". I'm too sure I'm not the only one that does this
How long have you had your natural hair?
About 4 years
I'm thinking about leaving the "naturalista" life soon. What parting words do you have for me?
Don’t go!!!!
Do you ever think about leaving too?
Nope!
Do you feel the pressure to stay natural?
Not at all! I love my hair and it’s actually the reason I started Butter by Banke.
I love that name, Butter by Banke. It has this softness to it. I feel like I'm a getting a massage. Lol! How long did it take you to come up with that name?
Not very long. I thought it was cheesy at first but ran it by a few people who liked it, so it stuck. We have one product line for now, expansion is definitely in the works. It's called Shea Deliciousness, it's an organic hair and body butter and it’s for men too!
I assume Shea Deliciousness is the secret to your beautiful hair? What's your hair night time routine?
Yes and it's so easy to use, I wet my hair first, add the butter and style. I also use it to steam my hair after every wash. Night time routine: If I have my hair done (crochet braids or box braids) I simply wear a static net satin night cap. When I rock my hair in a puff, I scarf it down to have the front flat. In the morning, I apply Butter by Banke, re-scarf for a bit and I’m good to go! I get compliments all the time.
How did it all start?
While planning my wedding, I wanted to give out wedding favours and found an idea on Pinterest- lip balms! I also wanted to make and hand out jars of body butter, so I ordered the containers. I made the lip balms but I never got around to making the body butter in all the frenzy. After the wedding, I made it and gave out jars of the butter to friends and family. Then it happened. They would call me up and say, "Banke, I've run out of butter. Make more!" I had the jars so I kept making more. I had most of the ingredients and the jars too, so I kept at it and my husband, Yinka convinced me to start selling. Voila!
What challenges did you face starting this business?
My main concern was whether people would be interested in my product in such a saturated market. I started to overthink everything. My husband was there. He encouraged me and affirmed the validity of the idea. He encouraged me to focus on using and investing what I had already (jars, knowledge and skill).
What would you say to someone facing the same challenge in their business?
If someone were to ask, I'd say what he told me "Only invest what you can bear to lose. Don’t focus on the profit, focus on the value you’re giving to people."
What principles guide your business?
I have a three-point set of principles:
Simple. Natural. Effective
Simple: Our product is simple to use. Using Shea Deliciousness eliminates having to mix 9 products yourself. Simplicity is genius.
Natural: Only natural ingredients are used, which is undoubtedly helpful to hair and skin
Effective: It works. I’ve seen it work for me and others and we believe in the product.
Does your husband secretly use Shea Deliciousness?
He uses it unashamedly! He even complains when I finish it! *laughs* He makes me make more!
What would you say to anyone who is reading this and is full of self-doubt about their brand?
First, you have to believe in your brand. Believe in it, people will see the passion and believe in it too. Start small and invest resources you don't mind losing. If it doesn't work, you know you tried and there was some collateral lost, but not too much. Don’t let fear keep you down. Try.
The first day you filled your first jar of Butter by Banke, how did you feel?
Excited! When I put the stickers on the jar is best feeling!
How do you strike a balance between your day job with running Butter by Banke?
I am a Communications and Marketing strategist in a financial institution by day.
I run Butter by Banke on the weekends and evenings.
Morning person/Night person?
Morning person. My mum is a morning person and raised us that way.
What's the best thing about having 9 older sisters?
The support system. It’s a good conversation starter. It stops everyone in their tracks.
How many hours can you wear heels for before your first "oowww"?
First, 4 inch heels are best I can do. I can stand in them for about 2 to 4 hours. I don't try to take the heels off in between and wear again, it makes the pain worse. I just sit down often and have flats ready in the bag.
Who is your hugest style influence?
Hair: Pinterest
Clothes: I don't have one fashion style because I had a lot of hand me downs.
Though I'd say Sister number 7 ("Tomato") has some influence on me. We all go to her for style advice.
The one meal you know you kill every time?
Pancakes (I don’t like to cook!)
One item you beg people to buy for you from Nigeria?
Groundnut!
One place I have visit when I go to Nigeria
Terra Kulture. I love Nigerian theatre. The play I’m really looking forward to is the Secret life of Baba Segi’s wives. I loved the book.
Last 3 items bought
Okra
Sofa covers.
Stickers with the Butter by Banke logo
Thank you, Banke for being our May PGI girl!
4 Things I learnt...
1. Stop talking about it and do it!
2. Focus on the value you provide, not on profit
3. You have the jars. Don't stop pouring in and creating.
4. She loves pancakes, I love pancakes. I guess that about seals this friendship
Thank you so much, Banke, for being PGI's May girl! I can't wait to see the wonderful things Butter by Banke rolls out soon. Love you loads!!
Get your Shea Delicious hair and body butter. I can feel it on my fingertips already.
Contact: Instagram @butterbybanke
PGI x ÀSÀ WEST | PGI Girls' Give-Away
Remember July's PGI girl, the stylish, awesome Mope ? She recently launched an accessory line called ÀSÀ West! Congratulations, Mope!
ÀSÀ West currently carries a wide range of hand-bags, envelope purses and other accessories. Yes, when I discovered this, I admit, I did hyper-ventilate a little, because I love handbags, and now my friend has a line! If you're looking for me, I'll be at her house, swimming in her inventory.
Just when I thought I couldn't love her anymore, she decided to partner with PGI to give back to her community through a give-away!
PagesbyIke is proud to be partnering with ÀSÀ West on this exciting project! We will be giving out the beautiful "WANDE" print purse from her line, which I am totally in love with. Men, if she didn't like your Valentine's day present, it's redemption time. Put in an entry for "WANDE" and thank us later.
I love "WANDE", I think she knows.
But first, one question. Two, actually. Three.
Why can't bloggers enter for their own give-aways? Who made these rules? You're maybe wondering if I plan to enter the PGI x ÀSÀ West Give-Away along with everyone else? It has crossed my mind. *slow nod and wink*
I really do have the perfect heels to pair "WANDE" with, but I won't enter, I promise. Lol.
We can't wait to find out who the winner is. The entry closes next week friday, so throw in those entries now!
Ps. Watch out for more giveaways this season from our past PGI girls! Don't forget to read the terms and conditions.
Best wishes.
(Congratulations to our winner! She has been contacted! Edited March 9th)
Real Stories #8: Notes To Read On The Dating Roller Coaster!
Hi, people! My name is .... o wait, I am supposed to be anonymous. Ike asked me to write a few things that I have learnt on my dating journey. I have written them in notes-to-self style. I hope my notes help someone else out there! Whenever you get question mark symbols floating above your head and heart about certain issues, flip back to this post, it just might help! Best wishes on that wild, dating roller coaster and holla if you see me. O wait...I'm anonymous. This anonymous thing is tricky. Hmmn.
Let's jump right in:
- If the kissing is poor, making out will be nothing more than poor *cringe*
- Not every relationship will end in marriage
- Don't superimpose another relationship on yours. No two relationships are the same
- Don’t date out of pity. You will be wasting everyone's time
- Don’t do trial-dating either (it’s a trial because one party isn't interested)
- Communicate. Engage. Understand.
- Be empathetic, try to see from the other person's point of view...
- ...but don’t drop your standards because you are trying to be empathetic.
- Find the 'mumu*' button and use it well *grins*
- Let your 'No' be 'No', have some self-respect and you'll avoid being taken for granted.
- Be friends, play games, challenge each other, laugh together, be rivals, pray together.
- Always, always express how you feel, be vulnerable, be happy, be yourself, be angry, be emotional, be irritable, be cranky, be hungry, be everything that makes you you. The sooner he knows everything about you, the better.
- Maintain eye contact (it spells intimacy).
- Don’t lie; some lies don’t follow you to the grave. And if you guys end up together, you might confess mistakenly.
- If there’s anything that bothers him that you do, consider compromise, if its doable.
- ..but don’t compromise your happiness for someone else’s. Be happy, be selfish! Muhaha. Ok, don't be selfish but understand the concept of compromise and apply it wisely.
- If you can't imagine spending the rest of your life with him, don’t make out and definitely don’t have sex with him.
*mumu: in this context mumu means lovingly taking advantage of your S.O's affections for you. It's not as twisted as it sounds. Let's rephrase, lovingly and effectively channeling your S.O's affections for you to the things you care about so that he spends his romantic energy wisely. Take that Merriam Webster!
This is story #8 of the "Dating Like Crazy" series (read #7, #6, #5, #4, #3, #2 and #1 ). This article was written by an anonymous contributor. Please note that this is a real story, please comment kindly. Thanks.
Real Stories #7: Retired Chauvinists, Love and Skoin-Skoin
I've always been mysterious. I was one of those guys who had everyone guessing who his girlfriend was. It was customary for me to be seen with a lot of 'remarkably pretty girls' without actually being with anyone of them. I wouldn’t say I was a player or a demon, though people might have lazily classified me as such.
Contrary to what outsiders thought, I was actually struggling to ‘seal the deal’. Lol. I was one confused fellow and thought I knew what I wanted in a girlfriend, but in retrospect, I simply had no clue and what's more interesting, is the fact that I had rather unrealistic expectations. The only constant thing in my non-existent love life then, was my attraction to complicated people, people who have what is popularly referred to as ‘skoin-skoin’. Simply put, if the girl was deemed to be a normal person by me, then I simply wouldn’t be interested. I still can’t figure out why. Was it the thrill of the challenge of deciphering what made her tick and then go cukoo-cukoo? Maybe I'm a little 'skoined' too? *shrug*
The interesting thing is that these skoin-skoin girls always seemed to like me, but whenever it came down to the real deal; it was always one excuse or the other;
‘Let me pray about it’,
‘I don’t know',
'I am not ready yet, but I feel like I will be soon’,
‘I need to consult great grandmother in the village',
Okay, no one said the great grandmother bit but you get what I mean. Boy, it was frustrating! I sure had this unparalleled ability to pick those girls and inflict pain on myself in the process… Wait! Eureka! That’s it! I know why now, I am probably a Masochist! It’s the pain, I loved the pain! What makes it worse was I had quite a number of beautiful, decent NORMAL ‘take-home-to-mama’ girls who were willing to be my Miss, but I was never willing to go down the dating path with them. How dare they think I would? Didn’t they know they were too normal for me? *hiss*
Lessons learnt dating.
I learnt that arrogance and dating don’t mix. I grew up around several "macho" uncles who were world-class players, disrespected their women and were quick to stamp their authority all over situations. Right, so I must have grown up a little chauvinistic, resisting vulnerability and compromise in my relationships. I wasn’t going to be disrespected by any girl, they all had to know who was boss. Anytime a girl I was dating gave me mixed signals, my next reaction was to kiss her goodbye. How could she? No one disrespects the boss! What I didn’t realize was that they were just being ‘women’, sometimes they don’t mean what they say. They want you to fight for them (I still think their wahala is too much sha). It’s really incredible how I thought I knew women and later realized I knew absolutely NOTHING about women.
One thought that constantly comes to mind now is how my uncles probably would have gone back to kneel down and beg (and even cry sef) their girls back in privacy of their rooms, while giving me the impression that they were the greatest macho-men around! I learnt that women are complicated, and to the brothers out there, don’t bother trying to understand them, lest you run mad; but the key is patience.
I also learnt that a woman typically has two different natures; the Angel and the Scary, Scorned, Vengeful Angry Bird. The part you see or experience largely depends on how you treat your woman. Nurture her, treat her well, and you have yourself the angel, always.
This is story #7 of the "Dating Like Crazy" series (read #6, #5, #4, #3, #2 and #1 ). This article was written by an anonymous contributor. Please note that this is a real story, please comment kindly. Thanks.
Ever been attracted to skoin-skoin traits? Makes it interesting doesn't it?
Relationship Canapé 002
#2 Celebrate each other's successes and triumphs, whether big, small or teeny!
This study shows that responding to your significant other's (S.O) good news, such as an achievement or a promotion, with positivity and genuine enthusiasm, is a great ingredient for a successful relationship. True, your ideas of things worth celebrating may differ, however, if it matters to S.O or puts a smile on his or her face, guess whose face should actually reflect that smile?! Yup, even if you aren't having such a good day yourself!
Learning to be a better S.O every day!
Psst! When last did you celebrate something together? Do you do this already? Tell us! Tell us!
Travel: The Weekend New Yorker
Last weekend, I realized why all Marvel-comics fictional villains try to take over New York City. Asides from the fact that Stan Lee, the creator of many Marvel villains is a New Yorker himself and probably chooses his city as the default setting for villain autocracy, New York is pretty amazing and if I was a villain with the long term goal of taking over the world, let's just say NY would be my 5-year starter project. It's like a mini earth, brimming over with so much activity and diversity!
It seems to run on this self-generating energy that feeds off the charged cloud of dissimilarity caused by diversity. I loved it! My ears perked up as I heard a woman speaking in rapid Italian to her son and a few feet from her, clusters of friends speaking French, German and other languages I couldn't decipher. Of course, I was speaking Yoruba too, adding to the cloud of dissimilarity and coolness-hehe.
What we did in New York
Slept like babies
Our Airbnb was situated in Brooklyn, my new crush. It was a peaceful, newly-renovated home with a minimalist design, where we got a lot of night rest. I didn't pull the dresser across the door this time or stare suspiciously at the sheets, but I did bring jollof rice!
Explored Flea market(s)
The Brookyln Flea market was more fun than I expected. Usually, I go to open markets for the sizzling food served out of the trucks and the tangy fruit drinks but I actually didn't remember to eat during this expedition.
I also bought a frog-brooch, well, my brother-in-law, Kenny bought it for me. I stood there deliberating whether I was eccentric and rich enough to wear it. Then he got tired of waiting and paid for it. I’m still deliberating! We, very well, could have been there at that stall up until this very moment.
Frog in question👀
♥️
Walked the Brooklyn bridge
The 1.1 mile (1.6 km) long bridge was a highlight. We walked from Brooklyn into Manhattan and loved every second of it, even when it began to drizzle. For a minute, I stood on the bridge and watched the cars pass swiftly below.
They always say New Yorkers are on the go, they don't care, they hurry past and ignore you but as I looked down, a woman in her car, of course, bored in the newly formed traffic, blew me a kiss and waved cheerfully at me. I guess they are wrong about the New Yorkers, then?
Bought "impromptu shoes"
After walking on the bridge in block heels. It happened! My feet went to sleep, so I had to find inexpensive flats. We ventured into China town-by now, I'm all but crawling on the floor. Lol. Who sent me? My sister-in-law and I eventually got a pair of inexpensive, impromptu shoes each. We fell in love with our shoes, maybe because they rescued us*shrug* Mine has quickly become my default shoes this season. I guess wearing the wrong pair of shoes out might have its perks. Wish i could buy impromptu handbags, hmm. *Pensive*
Flea market Tea break
I downloaded AirPnp
Guys, Airbnb's bathroom cousin, Airpnp is probably more genius than anything I've ever seen. There I was in our second flea market of the weekend and then *ting* I had to go. It didn't help that I had woken up that morning determined to meet my 3 liter a day target and I'm a bit of an over-achiever at the oddest times! Anyway, I was in the middle of an outdoor market and I couldn't find a public rest room. It was then I downloaded Airpnp with the speed that'll make light give me the side-eye. As I filled in my login details for this app which would direct me to the nearest rented home bathroom, I found a public restroom right in front of me after minutes of loitering and searching frantically! I didn't get to use my app. Anyway, I'm sure I'll get a chance to, on one of my over-achieving days in the near future.
Didn't get to eat out
I know, who doesn't eat out in NYC? Even hot dogs would have sufficed but we didn't get the chance. We walked by all the restaurants and hot dog vendors when we weren't hungry and then we got hungry on Broadway. We also were unanimously hungry for Thai, which made it more complicated. We eventually found a place, which had a waiting time of 2 hours. 2 hours. I blinked once, muttered a "thank you" and spun on my heels. "Back to our Airbnb!" We ordered Thai on the phone (another long story) but we had dinner eventually! Last weekend was an adventure nothing less.
Would i go back there? Umm yuh-uh, of course! Planned another trip already.
Jaw-dropping experience: I met a New Yorker squirrel, who by the way, is a little bit of a terror and chases humans. These city rodents smh
Were the people nice? In my experience, they were. The uber driver was too nice (and didn't play a harmonica), I got my watch strap fixed for free and I got a kiss blown at me- never gotten that anywhere.
Did I feel inspired by being in New York? Yes, I believe I was inspired. "Concrete jungle where dreams are made of**", yeah?
Have you ever been to New York? Do you live in New York? What's your favorite part and activity?
Related Posts: What happens in Vegas; 5 strange things i do in an Airbnb
**Line from Empire State of Mind-JayZ & Alicia Keys
PGI's May Girl: Ufuoma (The Organized Bride)
PGI's feature for the month of May is the beautiful, ambitious bride-to-be Ufuoma Ukueku! She talks about working in Real Estate, planning her wedding and how she deals with marriage horror stories!
Many brides have wedding planners and if they don't, they, at least have 5 different notepads where they scribble all their wedding ideas and plans or a scrapbook or Pinterest board. Ufuoma Ukueku is a different type of bride, one who is very keen on detail and plans to have a flawless, hitch-free wedding without a wedding planner! She applies her vocational skills to her wedding planning in a super-impressive way. She's blessed with fab planning skills, a trait she apparently got from her mum! Where was Ufuoma when I was planning my wedding and forgot to pick up my cake! Lol!
About her crazy organizational skills
What do you do for work?
I work as the Assistant General Manager of a Real Estate company in Lagos
How do you balance your busy lifestyle with your wedding planning?
I prioritize, analyze my tasks. I tend to take everything I do as a project, applying my management skills and knowledge to them. I manage well, balancing my personal life, work and wedding plans
Have you had any Bridezilla moments?
Not yet. I'm hoping not to! (laughs)
How many bridesmaids do you have?
I have 11 bridesmaids! (laughs)
Have you asked them if you've been showing any Bridezilla signs?
I haven't. I should ask them.
How do you keep a tab on your wedding planning? Do you have a wedding planner?
I actually don’t have a wedding planner. Excel spread sheets are the best wedding planner tool anyone could have! My work has taught me to plan, document and track progressions in any project, in this case, the wedding plans. I have an excel document with different sheets for various things I need to plan for. I just need to check every week to make sure nothing has been forgotten, then from time to time I show the document to my friends so they can contribute, so I don’t miss out anything .
From Ufuoma's doc
Pretty amazing! Are you a natural planner?
Yes, I am. Majorly influenced by my mum. She is super-organized; the best planner I know. She has a file for the wedding with "Seyi and Ufuoma" written on it! (Laughs) She saves programmes from weddings, documents everything as it progresses and is very hands-on with the preparations which I really appreciate.
Your dress! How did you find it? How many dresses did you have to try on?
My dress! My dress! People say it's difficult finding a dress but I always told myself that it would not be difficult for me.
It was helpful that I knew what I wanted already! I tried on about 6 dresses. The first store I went to is called Perfect Bridal Occasion. I had seen a dress they made for a bride on a friend's display picture. I felt the lady wearing the dress and I had similar figures, so i made inquiries about the dress, went for a fitting and that was it!
The only reason that i tried other dresses after finding this one was to get a sense of pricing on wedding dresses in general. The store stylist asked me to go to other stores to have an idea what their prices were like relative to the quality of the dresses and in all honesty I did not see any thing better. So I stuck with this one regardless of the price. I found it about 6 months before the wedding!
What do you love the most about it (the dress)? (Don't spill anything you don't want us to know)
I particularly like the fact that it’s very fitted, I have always loved body-con dresses.
What do you think are the top three things a girl needs to have to be well-put-together?
Great hair, Glam heels, Shaped eyebrows
What's your morning beauty routine?
Foundation and eyebrows are super important to me
Are you on a diet for the wedding?
To be honest, i'm always on one diet or the other, its already a way of life for me. Yeah, I would say i am on a diet
Shoes or Handbags?
Shoessss! Anyday, any time. ( I give all my bags out all the time. I have about 2 bags left and i'm like what is the point of buying bags)
Shoe-colour preference?
The family of purple (purple, lilac, magenta , plum)
About her wonderful job!
Did you choose your industry or did your industry choose you?
Well, I would say both based on the circumstances of the employment. I met my boss on a project that I was working on at the time and he offered me a job!
Why did you choose your industry?
It was all just me following that inner voice saying, "this is an opportunity of a life time".
What do you love the most about your job?
I love that ownership quality that comes with working here. Even though, it's not my company, i still feel responsible for the outcomes of certain decisions made. I love everything about my job, really! It’s the best decision I have ever made (laughs) This is not for my employer o! I mean it.
How have you developed your skills and knowledge of Real Estate?
Experience. I work in the construction aspect of Real Estate. A lot people think its only when you are an engineer that you can understand construction- that's so not true. Experience is our best friend and for the past 5 years, I have been learning and getting better at it .
What would you change about your industry?
Improved skills for artisans; I'd like to set up a training school for them. They have the enthusiasm and energy to work but they have very low level skills which could have adverse effects in construction. It's something that should be looked into in Nigeria.
About marriage and twerks!
What are you looking forward to the most in marriage?
Really looking forward to actually living with my best friend
How long have you and Seyi been together?
5 and half years
About 3 years ago, I had a conversation with you about your goals as a couple. I still remember very clearly. You guys set goals you hoped to achieve before you got married! Have you set your goals as a married couple yet?
Well, yes we have been working on our goals for marriage and the marriage counseling classes have also helped us redirect some goals as well.
Have you heard any marriage horror stories?
Yes, I have, especially couples that did not get married from their tribe(my fiancé is Yoruba). We hear all sorts but for some reasons people also say Deltas don’t really attach tribal issues to anything, so for me, it doesn't bother me or maybe it's because of the person I am getting married to
How do you deal with these stories?
Just prayers and working on my relationship daily.
Have you ever tried twerking?
Hmm, yes o! (Laughs) I used to know how to dance in the past!
Kilishi or plantain chips? Let's see where you are on the Vegetarian-Carni spectrum!
Plantain chips any day, that kilishi ‘s pepper can kill (laughs)
What would you say to your 20 year old self?
"Well-done for taking great opportunities at a very early age and well-done for setting good morals and values but we could have done better."
What would you say to your 30 year old self?!
"30 is the new 20s, so stay positive and aim for better"
4 Things I Learnt...
1. Take your work home with you, i.e apply some work skills in your personal life too (except, of course, if you are a wrestler)
2. As you grow vocationally, don't forget to develop subordinates and junior staff
3. Ufuoma hands out bags; i love bags....we should work something out
4. We eventually become our mums (tell me about it!) Love you mum! Happy Mothers' Day!
Thank you so much, Ufuoma, for being PGI's May girl! ! We wish you all the blessings of God in that thrilling adventure called marriage! Love you loads!!
Lemonade-From Halo to Pitch-Fork
I recently saw Beyoncé in her new visual album, Lemonade, where she talks about dealing with life's lemons! She talks about cheating husbands, some mysterious lady called “Becky with the good hair” (the drama, the memes...lol!), politics, heartbreak and reconciliation. Some people think it's a publicity stunt, a gimmick, which the Carters maybe cashing in on; i don't know, but one thing is certain-- Beyoncé is the Queen of crazy eyes! She has that crazy woman-scorned glare! Whether scripted or not, it's present all over her face in the one-hour video, especially in the song, Hold Up, where she runs down a street in a flowing mustard dress, smashing things with a baseball bat.
There’s only one reason in the history of histories why women ever hold a baseball bat, ever--to smash the belongings and to separate the glass from the metal in a cheating lover’s car. Women don’t touch a baseball bat for anything less. The grip is accompanied by, of course, the crazy eyes, angry, hot breath and a self-satisfied look when the deed is done.
How do women get here though? She wasn't always like that, our hypothetical crazed girl. Was she? No mother births a baseball bat-wielding, burn-his-clothes-in-the-tub, crazy-eyed baby! Clearly, it a process and journey to this state.
How do women get here? Ok, true, we get a little crazy eyed at the start of menarche and every month since then but this is a different type of nuts. The nuts caused by men. Pun intended.
The typical woman on her wedding day is full of laughter, throwing bouquets, a priceless smile on her face that photographers capture with ease. Everything is beautiful, the tiers of cake, petals and tulle everywhere! The love of her life- there he is. All regal and dapper. Forever couldn’t come in better hide. On this day, there is no possibility of crazy eyes, not at the moment or even in the future. This is our default mode, let’s call her, Halo. Halo, it will always be until an unfortunate day when she is required to carry a bat, then, even hell takes a step back in fright when this scorned woman takes to the streets.
Lemonade got me asking a lot of questions; Do Halo's know from the scratch that he might cheat? Are women able to tell if a man has infidelity propensities? "If he loves you, you won't find out", what does this even mean?! How much is a baseball bat? What do women do in Nigeria, when a guy cheats? (we don't have bats) I once heard of a girl who tried to throw away the guy's stuff and got beaten up*blink*. Another girl got beaten up by the guy and his side chic, my opinion, she should have tased them.
What do men do when a girl cheats? They don't break her perfume bottles, cut out the cups in her bras and deflate her tires, do they? How distressing for her, especially the bras.
Should I make lemonades this summer? Those are the questions running through my mind. And of course, who in the world is "Becky with the good hair"?
Ok, if you read this, you should answer at least one question! Lol! Have you seen the "Lemonade" video?
So you fell in love with someone who is completely different from you. Surprise! No surprise there, actually, a good number of us find ourselves attracted to people who are fundamentally different from us. The further they are from us on the temperament spectrum, the more googly and starry our eyes become. Num...