LIFESTYLE; PREJUDICES AND JUDGEMENT (PART 1) 

Lifestyle is a definition of who you are and what you are about. This is evident through the people you interact with, the things you enjoy doing. It’s a plain definition of what makes you, you!

LIFESTYLE TOPIC OF DISCUSSION;

Septum rings.

What is this new craze about? Is it that new? Do we blame the millennials? Or do we blame the liberation of the fashion society? Is there more to it than septum rings? Do we blame it on the new forms of lifestyle?

As seen on my Instagram HERE, I explore the craze of the septum ring. This lifestyle choice of piercing , which is made by many, roots back to the 16th century where different cultures had different reasons behind piercings.

Quick history of my upbringing and childhood. Being a 1990s baby, born in Kenya, Africa. My parents are fully Kenyan and my dad can be considered to be very culturally savvy. He is in the tourism industry and had an opportunity to live in France for close to two years. This exposure helped him be able to understand diversity in a global perspective earlier than some of his peers back home. My mum as well, moved to the capital city at a young age and got her fair share of exposure to the ways of city upbringing. She also traveled to Italy at some point in her life and got a little one on one with what the Europeans had to offer. With that being said, I can say my parents understand what it means to be ‘diverse’.

Without digressing any further from the intended topic of discussion: the matter of prejudices and judgement, I want to talk about why I mentioned my parents ‘culturally savvy’ ways. Growing up in my household, I knew there were some things that I could not do. Like plaiting cornrows as Bow Wow, or getting a piercing of any sorts. That was more or less a taboo and the highest form of rebellion.

Fast forward to my early teens, I was given the chance to play around with style and fashion, but still there were some things I could not do example like dying my hair blonde , or straightening my hair (this was later experimented in my high-school dormitory). The main reason why I could not do these things was because of one particular phrase “What would people say?”

The African society has been known and is still known to be a muffler of talent, dreams and passions. What some people might view as ‘absurd’ ‘not normal’ ‘insane’ might be the way out of certain matters and issues. Africans need to fully embrace new ideas and learn to support.

Absolutely, there is a great number of people that support and nurture talent, as well as comprehend before judging. But, as much as there will be supporters there will be other people that bring others down. With meaningless banter and mindless expressions.

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