LagosExplorer reports: Speaking in an interview with YouTuber Folashade Samagbeyi, award-winning Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie disclosed why she decided to stop pretending she was uninterested in fashion and openly embraced her passion for style.
The celebrated writer said she once felt the need to downplay her love for fashion so that she would be taken seriously as an intellectual. “For some people, liking fashion means you’re not a serious person. So I went through a period of pretending because I wanted to be taken seriously as a writer,” Adichie revealed.
She admitted that the pretense became tiring and eventually pushed her to embrace her true self. “I was also tired of pretending that I wasn’t interested in fashion, when in fact I was. I’m interested in hair and makeup, so I thought that if I talked about it publicly, other women like me would feel they didn’t have to pretend,” she explained.
Adichie further noted that many women in leadership positions secretly enjoy fashion but avoid speaking about it out of fear of being judged. “Part of the reason I started talking about fashion is because many women who are into politics, who have ideas, also like fashion. Why should we pretend?” she asked.
On her decision to prioritize Nigerian brands, the Purple Hibiscus author described it as a conscious choice to support local talent. “Choosing to wear mostly Nigerian brands, which I started doing a number of years ago, was something I did intentionally. For me, it is a kind of fashion nationalism,” she said.
Highlighting her commitment, Adichie disclosed that she often rejects foreign designers who offer her clothing. “I’m fortunate to have this platform, and I’ve gotten to a point where foreign designers would send me clothes. So I thought it was a great opportunity to start wearing Nigerian brands. It’s just a subtle way of showing up for my people,” she added.