Meghan Markle and Prince Harry made a three-day visit to Nigeria to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games.
Subsequently, a bold address at a May 25 event commemorating President Bola Tinubu’s one year in office, where Nigeria’s First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, warned the nation’s women to avoid losing their identity by imitating American celebrities, sparked controversy.
The First Lady of Nigeria, Reno Tinubu, made remarks that have been interpreted by some as a criticism of Meghan Markle following her recent visit to the country. She questioned the purpose of Meghan’s visit, implying that Nigerians have something to…
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As she emphatically criticized the widespread influence of Hollywood’s provocative fashion trends, netizens speculated if the remarks were a dig at the Duchess of Sussex’s tour wardrobe.
Referencing the recent Met Gala, the First Lady emphasized, “The message here is we have to salvage our children. We see the way they dress. They keep forgetting that, we are beautiful. You can see what they showcase on the stage, I said, ‘We are fashionable, we see what is going on.’ We are not having the Met Gala. And everyone, the nakedness, is just everywhere and the men are well-clothed. So we have to do something. Tell them we don’t accept nakedness in our culture. That is not beautiful. It’s not beautiful at all.”
She added, “And they’re all beautiful girls, but they should be confident in who they are. They do not want to mimic and try to emulate film stars from America. They don’t know where they come from. Why did Meghan come here looking for Africa? That is something we have to take home with us. We know who we are. Don’t lose who you are.” Oluremi’s remark came after Markle in her Archetypes podcast, revealed she is 43 percent Nigerian and referred to Nigeria as her country.
Meghan shared her joy in discovering more about her heritage during her visit. At an event focused on women in leadership in the Nigerian capital of Abuja, she stated, “Never in a million years would I understand [Nigeria] as much as I do now. And what has been echoed so much in the past day is, ‘Oh, we are not so surprised when we found out you are Nigerian’…It is a compliment to you because what they define as a Nigerian woman is brave, resilient, courageous, beautiful.”
Some experts however criticized Markle’s choice of expensive and revealing outfits, suggesting she could have displayed ‘more modesty’. As reported by NY Post, a fashion expert pointed out that Markle “bared too much skin,” and would have opted for more conservative outfits had it been the United Kingdom. As Oluremi’s statement went viral, the First Lady’s office clarified, “She meant Meghan appreciates the people we are and hence her coming here…At no point did she say anything about Meghan’s dressing,” as reported by Mirror. She had instead intended to send a message to the youth that even Markle wished to get in touch with her roots by flying down to Nigeria.