Hello everyone, welcome to another week, I hope your weekend was great ? Mine was and I'm grateful to God for it, somehow it looks like the sun might be out for a longer time today and I'm hoping to make the most of the weather, I pray this new week brings us the goodness, favour and mercies of God we pray for this week, without further ado , let's dive into this edition's topic and somehow when I saw this topic , I already knew what I was going to write , so let's get down.....
So let me just say this real quick like I don’t know who started this nonsense talk that every girl from Akwa Ibom is somehow “loose” or wayward, because to be honest it is one of the most annoying stereotypes that I have had to deal with, and the painful part is that it is not just strangers that throw it at you, sometimes even the people close to you do too and you will be like WHAT!!!!!!.....
I am from Akwa Ibom, that is where I come from, and I am so proud of it, even regardless of what anybody thinks, but do you know how many times I have told someone where I am from and the first thing they say is, “Ah, you are a Calabar girl!” mehn..... First of all, Akwa Ibom and Calabar are not the same, even though we are both from the south-south area and second of all, what is with the “Calabar girls are naughty” statement? Like I don't even get it at all and it always pisses me off.
That thing annoys me so much ehn..... I cannot begin to explain how it annoys me so much, Like where is that even coming from? So because I am from a certain part of the country now, I automatically fall into one basket of assumptions, like I always just look at the person with that side eye like, “From where to where, abeg?”
And yes, even my ex-husband used to make annoying reference to that stereotype, Imagine someone you are married to saying stuff like, “Ah, you Akwa Ibom girls ehn...” as if that is supposed to be a compliment, there was a day he said it again in a one kind manner and I just told him straight, “See Guy don’t ever say that thing around me again it's already annoying bi hear it from people and coming home to hear it from you too” because I might not be the fighting type, but one thing I hate is rubbish talk that is meant to put people in a box.
It is bad enough that we women get judged for almost everything, now add being judged because of where you come from.... It is not even like they know you personally o,they have not had one or any meaningful conversation with you, but they already think they know what you are about, that kind of thing can be so very irritating, especially when it keeps repeating.
See I won’t even lie, I have not exactly “overcome” the stereotype , because it still happens from time to time, but what I do now is just ignore it, I just don’t even waste my energy trying to explain myself to people that already made up their minds, yes , I just mentally note it, and if I see that the person enjoys throwing jabs like that, I avoid them completely, like life is too short to be dragging your identity with people who are not willing to unlearn nonsense , you get?.
See stereotypes are dangerous, they make people look at you through a lens that has nothing to do with your reality at all, and if you are not careful sef, you might even start questioning yourself or trying to over-explain. But no be me and una, ain't doing that shit....
Yes, I am from Akwa Ibom, yes. But I am not your stereotype, and if that is too hard to understand, then I suggest maybe keep your opinion to yourself. This is what I say hence .Because me? I just hate rubbish talk.
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