FRIDAY OLOKOR writes about Queen Okafor, popularly known as Nigerian Queen of hairs

In Africa, traditional beliefs cannot be wished away, even though it is generally believed that change is constant. Some tribes in Nigeria view women with excessive hair as a taboo.

But this belief does not strike a chord in Queen Okafor, a native of Nnobi in Idemili South Local Government Area, Anambra State.

Seeing her for the first time evokes mixed feelings about her gender. This is mainly because of the hairs which adorn her breasts, chest, face and other parts of her body.

This special feature stands her out in public and wherever she goes. For some of her fans, Queen, a graduate of Environmental Health Science, is the most hairy woman in Nigeria, although no competent source has verified the claim.

Little wonder she describes herself as "Nigerian Queen of hairs."

In an interview with SUNDAY PUNCH, Okafor said she got no fewer than 100 suitors daily on the average, depending on the place she visits.

She said, "I get not less than 100 suitors and admirers everyday depending on the occasion. Married and single men, boys, girls, lesbians and gay men are attracted to me. But I can't accept every person that approaches me because people are very deceptive.

"Some men will tell me that they are not married, whereas they are married with children at home. I am not married, but I intend to get married one day because that is the prayer of every woman, but definitely not to a married man. If God answers my prayers, I will be happy to be married to a businessman that will love me and not be one that will beat me."

Her comments seem to stem from the fallout of a previous relationship. She however said, "No man has ever dumped or disappointed me, I can tell you that. I fell in love with one man immediately after my secondary school. He was fond of beating me because he was very temperamental and that informed my decision to quit the relationship."

She spoke about another failed love encounter.

"I fell in love with one man, but I detest men that don't tell the truth, I was in love with him but because he was a womaniser, I decided to dump him. On several occasions, he tried to seduce and sleep with my younger sister. My sister told me about this. She said whenever she was asleep, he would sneak into her bedroom and attempt to sleep with her."

Okafor added that she had not seen a genuine heartthrob yet as everybody seems to be interested only in her "flesh."

However, Queen noted that the hairs on her body are hereditary. "It is a family thing, especially from my father's side. So, if I get married, I won't be surprised to see any, if not all of my children, having hairs all over their bodies," she said.

Although she is into modelling and had featured in many advertisements, Okafor intended to go into acting to fulfill her dreams.

Opinions are however divided about her hairy body. A legal practitioner and a chieftain of Labour Party, Kayode Ajulo said, "Marrying or dating a hairy woman is all about choice. The adage that one man's meat is another man's poison fits perfectly. I am not a doctor but I have been told that such hairiness is as a result of excess of certain hormones."

Another lawyer, Mr. Tony Ejumejowo, stated that there was nothing wrong with getting married to women like Okafor, as long as she has the right attitude. "I would not be bothered by such traditional beliefs if I find the woman with the right attitude and provided there is love," Ejumejowo said.

He was however quick to attribute Okafor's hairy body to medical reasons. He said, "I think there must be some medical explanations about hairy women. I will advise that women with such a condition should seek professional advice about proper waxing products that will make them not appear like men. Waxing products are products that remove hair from body without shaving. One can find such products in beauty salons and super markets."

A Lagos-based artiste, Obehi Christiana Ediale, however said there was nothing glamorous about "a hairy women with a lot of hair in the wrong places."

She said, "Looking good and being well groomed is important for us women, not because it is aimed at pleasing the opposite sex or people around us, but because it makes us feel good, heightens our confidence and ultimately projects class and more femininity in our appearance too. Facial hair would achieve nothing for the woman."

A medical doctor, Joe Onigbinde, however, explained that Okafor may have a mixture of male and female hormones.

He said, "Hairy women have masculine and feminine hormones. Such women can decide to go for cosmetic surgery."

Princess Peboh Ice had a word of advice for Okafor. She wrote on her Facebook page, "My dear, if only you learn how to comport yourself, cover up. You don't have to impress anyone. You don't have to try so hard to show people you are a lady. God made you beautiful in His own way. Wearing this open dress and loud hair-do and makeup can only make people mock you. Have a good day."

morbeta:
Good for you. My own problem is that Buhari met empty treasury and might not be able to deliver all his campign promises.

morbeta:
Good for you. My own problem is that Buhari met empty treasury and might not be able to deliver all his campign promises.

egopersonified:
100 each day? Madam, fear God, even Agbani never reach that level. But then again, if your father is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces of okija shrine high priests, then anything is possible.