Spiffy. Smart. Dapper. Those are just a few words that are related to "well-groomed." Technically, well-groomed means "well-dressed and scrupulously neat." In short:
The Quintessential Nigerian Gentleman must be well-groomed
And if you're not tired of hearing me repeat the word 'Quintessential' by now, you must be very patient ;-)
Now, let's break it down.
When you meet a person for the very first time, one of the first things you notice is that person's physical appearance. This applies to both men and women. And I am not only referring to the clothes he is wearing or his sense of fashion (or lack thereof). Nope. I am also referring to other not-so-popular topics like mouth odor, body odor, dirty fingernails, etc. Yes, you can laugh now, but believe me, when you stand close enough to a man to shake his hands (or sniff his cologne: that works too), you will notice these things.Now, when I say well-groomed, I don't mean that a man has to have a great sense of fashion. It is desirable, but is not necessary. I believe that women generally, appreciate a man who is conscious enough to take good care of his appearance. That absolutely rules out sagging. A gentleman does not sag his shokoto (trousers, pants). But that means, he should look neat, and not like the abominable snowman or as if he's been in a wrestling match. With all his clothes on. I think you get the picture.
Furthermore, being well-groomed includes other aspects of your physical appearance such as your hair (the one on your head), facial hair (the one on your face), fingernails. I won't even go near the toe nails. That one deserves a separate post because I would have to go into describing the horrors of the bunions I have seen in my life. The kinds of bunions that will make you want to run and hide behind your mother's wrapper. Or make you just scream in fear. *sigh* There are some things you should just never see. Or when you see them, you wish you had the memory-erasing-thingy Will Smith used in Men in Black. For real.
Back to our topic.
I believe generally Nigerian men have the fashion sense aspect of well-groomed down. I say this because one of the first things people (American women, usually) mention to me about the Nigerian men they have met is their great sense of style/fashion. They keep gushing on and on about it, so I have concluded that our men know how to dress. Well, some of them.
Of course, I don't mean that a gentleman must wear a suit all the time. Just 99.99% of the time would be fine. Seriously though, you can be well-groomed, neat and well put-together in any attire. It just takes some effort, and I believe it is worth that effort because your physical appearance says a lot about you. And it is the one thing people use to judge you. Some people never get a second chance.
Question: Do you think the typical Nigerian man is well-groomed or has a good sense of style? What would you include in your definition of "well-groomed?" Kindly share.
