The Gentleman Series | 2: He Must be Well-Groomed

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.  

Relentless, you're doing me a wrong something o. I come here and first thing I see is that fine creation of God that I cannot have.. kaii. As per the suit, school don teach me say there is almost nobody a suit cannot make fine. As in, the confidence that comes with being well-groomed is on a different level.

I think well-groomed means someone who takes care of the way they appear. So when not in suit, still looking sharp (presentable ). Areas to be groomed: hair, face, nails - these are usually the only areas exposed on a man. But, clothes that fit where they are supposed to are also a big aspect: don't get me started on skinny jeans things or grandpapa pant things.

I think our Nigerian men know how to put themselves together really well, especially when wearing native (some native attires can be sharper than suit sef). So, they get pass mark on this requirement


The first time i saw a guy in that carrot trousers thing (shebi carrot ni abi carrotis, i'm not sure) i laughed out loud. My friend had to pinch me to behave. That thing should be restricted to Whizkid only mbok. If you aren't whizkid, it is NOT for you.

I saw a guy at the grocery store and dude was trying to chat me o unfortunately, he was sagging. I was so tempted to help him pull his pants up properly so i could take him serious but naa. He'll probably have insulted my life so i let this woulda-been-drop-dead cute boy go with his saggy-ness *mock tears*

Most of our guys make effort though. I also can't stand guys who keep their nails especially the little finger. I literally want to get close, bring out my nail cutter and cut it right off. Again, they would probably beat my lepa self so i mind my business :(

Nigerian men take care of themselves sha... well, those who do, do it well and those who don't... *sigh*


Totally agree, but not all Nigerian men are fashionable o :)

Where did my epistle comment go? *wails*


Toin: Lol! Don't wail now. It's still there. I saw it. It's just that Disqus is taking forever to import it. *hands over hanky to Toin*

Dayo: Lol! About that picture ehn, I plead the 5th! Hehe!

Seriously though, a suit can dress anybody up, if it is well-tailored sha. Otherwise, the person just looks like a carton. Skinny jeans (as far as I am concerned) are to be worn by WOMEN ONLY. I can't possibly take a man seriously if he wears those, especially in any color other than black. I think Nigerian men rock native well sha. Unlike ladies, they're not into the whole ankara or woodin for aso-ebi thingy. I think they usually wear khaftans and outfits made from brocade, etc. It looks better. Ankara on a man looks one-kind when it's not done properly. Too busy.

Nollywood Reinvented: Same here. I mean, even non-Nigerian women have testified, so there's no contest.

Inyamu: I agree! You either have it or you don't. A sense of style, I mean. Generally though, Nigerian guys are well-versed in the do's and dont's.

Myne: Certainly not! Fashion is not the important part though. Neatness and looking presentable is.

This is a very interesting series and I particularly like this point. I happen to be an intern in a good company and my boss took me to a meeting with managers. After the meeting, people where greeting me and asking for my complementary card which was funny because they thought I was very important..( of course I am though) point is, the way I was dressed and how I presented myself was what made my boss take me to the meeting in the first place. Dress the way you want to be addressdedis real

Victor Iweanya

Victor: Wow! Thanks for sharing your story, because theory is very different from practice. I'm glad to see that you've put this to practice and it has worked for you. Please get business cards made o, so you can pass that to people you meet. It'll help them remember you.

Thanks for the compliments on the series too. Glad you're enjoying it.

Toinlicious: Honestly, I don't know what carrot trousers are. I am assuming you mean skinny jeans, in which case I agree with you. I would take it one step further and recommend that only women wear them. I'm sorry, but I can't take any man who wears skinny jeans seriously.

Lol @ Mr. Cute-who-sags. What can I say? If you want to copy, at least copy good things. Sagging is a big no-no. I wish you had pulled up his shokoto. I wonder how he'd have reacted.

As for the long nail on the pinky, I don't know what they're keeping it for. Why not just cut everything? What's the point? *smh* Is it a can opener?


I would love to hear your thoughts. Please Share.

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