For every Nigerian woman, a time comes when your weekends suddenly go from lazy Saturdays spent in your house, to having to attend a friend/cousin/colleague’s wedding almost every weekend. And while weddings are a fun, joyous occasion they almost always come with Aso-Ebi gbese.
We asked six Nigerian women to share how they felt about Nigeria’s Aso-Ebi Culture. Here is what they said.
“It’s hard not to love”
Yes it gets expensive, especially when you have a ton of friends, but it’s hard not to love. All the senrenre that comes with it is always so much fun. And if you know how to hack it, it doesn’t even have to get too expensive for you. Pick and chose whose Aso-Ebi, you are buying. Split the cost with a friend and add crepe to make a full dress. Just find a way to hack it. – Adaeze, 26
“I’m so over it.”
When I turned 23 and my friends just started to marry it was fun. I remember buying my first Aso-Ebi it was 10k with gele and I felt so grown up. Now people will be bringing 50k bills for lace they bought 5k from Balogun. If you are not super important to me, I don’t bother with it. And I refuse to be ashamed about it. – Olayinka, 27
“The pressure can be overwhelming”
I had a very close friend get married at a point in my life where I was flat broke. I had to borrow money to buy her Aso-Ebi. I remember other friends telling me it wasn’t that deep, and it wasn’t by force. But I’ve seen the way those same friends act when people don’t buy their Aso-Ebi. Or when someone in our circle opts out of buying someone else’s Aso-Ebi. Maybe I have too many friends. But the pressure to buy Aso-Ebi each time some gets married can be overwhelming. And it’s not even just marriage, just last week I had to buy Aso-Ebi for my friend’s mum’s 60th. – Seun, 27
“You can’t shame me into buying it.”
I hardly ever buy Aso-Ebis. I know some women who spend a ridiculous amount of money on Aso-Ebis every year, but that couldn’t be me. What I hate is how people try to shame you into buying it. Acting like it’s a ticket into some super exclusive club for their D-Days. But you can’t shame me. And if you act up about me not buying your Aso-Ebi then I just won’t come for your wedding. It’s that simple. – Atinuke, 25
“It’s unnecessary”
There’s honestly no need for it. I think it used to be this fun thing where you and your friends got to show up and show out in similar ‘fits. Now it seems like a money grabbing venture. Almost like fundraising to sponsor the wedding or something. And it’s funny how people price it so ridiculously like we don’t all know the price of lace in the market. It’s completely unnecessary, just call a colour and leave everyone to their own devices. – Adedoyin, 24
“No wedding is complete without it…it’s a gesture of love”
What’s a Nigerian wedding without Aso-Ebi. You might as well not serve Jollof and small chops too. It’s just who we are. It’s extra, it’s flamboyant, it’s beautiful. It’s also a great way to show love and support to the person who’s getting married. I’ve bought way more Aso-Ebi than I’d ever need. But when you buy Aso-Ebi, you are not just paying for material and gele. You are showing your friend, that you are happy for her and you can’t wait to celebrate with her. It’s a gesture of love. – Fadekemi, 25
As told to Mariam Oyin* reached out to me when I put a call out for women to tell me about the worst thing a friend has done to them. In her message, she said her best friend and girlfriend at the time outed her. I was curious about how that played out and I […]
This article shares stories of women who have experienced both sides of love and relationships and have chosen what makes them feel the happiest . These women share their stories of leaving heterosexual relationships to date women. Here are their stories: Mimi I always dated and was sexually active with both men and women at […]
Yoruba aunties can wreak havoc, but who’s going to plan the epic Owambe parties we love to attend if they’re gone too soon? So to keep the party rice coming, these are all the healthcare tips they need to know.
The subject of this week’s What She Said is Thelma Egbe, a 28-year-old woman who loves cooking. She talks about growing up in a family where the men and women cooked, growing a food blogging and catering business, and how adulting almost made her stop. What was your childhood like? I spent a part of […]
A member of Nigeria’s first family is trending on social media over the mistreatment of a young Nigerian over the past few days. The attention she’s got has come with various taunts, public outcries, and even different forms of body shaming against her and the Nigerian government. The person in question is none other than […]
Seyi Vibez was forced to make a difficult decision barely two weeks before his debut album, Billion Dollar Baby, was released to the public at the start of November [2022]. His manager informed him the remix of one of his songs, C Major, with Tiwa Savage, would have to be removed from the album (and […]
Ademola Adeleke has only been Osun State governor for a couple of days but he’s already causing commotion with his executive orders. Should we be worried?
The Nigerian National Merit Award (NNMA) board has found no one deserving of the Nigerian National Order of Merit (NNOM) award in 2022. But we found five women who were criminally overlooked in the past.
Regardless of what society has tried to tell us, enjoying sex is not something to be ashamed of. So, in a bid to celebrate our generation’s sexual agency, we’ve created a quiz that will accurately (again, keep your complaints to yourself) infer how many people you’ve spelt with. Try it out: 11 Quizzes For The […]
While we know that a lot of the best Nigerian artists deservedly have fans across generations, that won’t stop us from attempting to guess how old you are based on your taste in Nigerian music. So, take this quiz to see if we got it right:
While the rest of the world loves to treat our continent like a country, there are actually 54 African countries. So, in a bid to test your knowledge (and educate you), we’ve created a quiz to see how many of their capitals you can correctly name. Go ahead:
Are you a single pringle, stuck in a complicated situationship or happily married to the love of your life? This quiz is here to guess your current relationship status, and as you know, Zikoko quizzes are incredibly accurate (don’t quote us). So, give a shot:
This week’s #ZikokoWhatSheSaid subject is a 29-year-old Nigerian woman who lives with her parents but hasn’t left her house since February. She talks about discovering the reclusive lifestyle during COVID and connecting better with online friends than those around her.
This week’s #ZikokoWhatSheSaid subject is a 43-year-old Nigerian woman. She talks about finding peace after her mother’s death, living with two bipolar brothers and escaping toxicity through classic books and films.
How do you think it looks when you’re walking down the aisle, and your husband is just shining his eyes, looking at you? Oh, wrong nau. These 11 hacks will surely make your man cry on your wedding day.
This week’s #ZikokoWhatSheSaid subject is a 36-year-old Nigerian woman. She talks about learning to save while jumping molue as a teenager, her experiences with sugar daddies and her rocky path to financial independence.
After Nelly’s x-ray revealed she had scoliosis, she rushed to Google for more information— a solution, possibly. But it only helped in increasing her paranoia.
What happens when a group of chatty young Nigerians talk about things they're passionate about? You get Nigerians talk. A show that discusses very familiar struggles for the average Nigerian. From relationship deal breakers to sex education with Nigerian parents to leaving Nigeria, be prepared for a ride.
What happens when a group of chatty young Nigerians talk about things they're passionate about? You get Nigerians talk. A show that discusses very familiar struggles for the average Nigerian. From relationship deal breakers to sex education with Nigerian parents to leaving Nigeria, be prepared for a ride.
What happens when a group of chatty young Nigerians talk about things they're passionate about? You get Nigerians talk. A show that discusses very familiar struggles for the average Nigerian. From relationship deal breakers to sex education with Nigerian parents to leaving Nigeria, be prepared for a ride.
Join The Conversation
Bring a friend.