• If the numbers of slay queens has increased, it is because the demand for such services has also increased
Image: STAR ILLUSTRATED
The culture we live in today is that of simple relationships. Relationships of give and take. Young women and men have become sceptical with the notion of romance and love. They want a quick and brief encounter that will be beneficial to them in terms of more than just companionship.
Seeing old men and their sugar babies or old women and their 'Ben 10s', as they are colloquially known, has become so common that we have even forgotten to frown in disagreement. We have seen these stories so much that we subconsciously accept that they are apart of the society we live in… until it happens to you.
I recently took my niece out for dinner before she returned home overseas. We went to one of the more popular beach hotels in Mombasa. As we walked in, she loved the scenery and thought it would make the perfect backdrop for her last pictures in Mombasa. There I was the ‘cool aunt,’ directing the photoshoot and taking the pictures.
Oblivious to our surroundings, a man approached us and greeted us. We believed him to be a member of staff at the hotel as we responded in kind. He turned to my niece and told her that his friend who is also a certain ‘Honourable’ Member of Parliament, would like to talk to her in private.
Two things threw me off. Cynically, none of them was that some strange men approached us. As women, we deal with unwarranted advances in every sphere of our lives.
The first thing that threw me off was that men still play the game using wingmen. It seemed pathetic that someone would still send an emissary to ‘procure’ a girl for him in the name of being cool.
The second thing that threw me off was that the ‘Honourable MP’ was once a man that we all admired for his valour in the fight for justice. He was in the prime of his career before he joined politics. During his time in the industry, he was an avid champion of human rights and accountability. His passion for holding the government accountable made him a darling of the nation.
My natural reaction was that of anger and repulsion, but I realise now it was simply disappointment. The MP, who belongs to the same religion and culture as us, did not see sisters in faith. Even with our traditional modest attires, he still regarded us as slay queens. At the very least he could have regarded us as his constituents, whom he represents in Parliament. What he saw was a prospective hook-up, and an opportunity for his ego to be inflated by his fame and authority. None of which worked, by the way, as my niece was completely oblivious to who he was. People in positions of power believe that fame and power make them desirable. To some extent it has.
I imagined all the young girls who would have been seduced by the fame and illusion of wealth. In fact, there are so many young women living this life. In today’s social media world, these young girls are known as slay queens. Men like the ‘honourable’ have become accustomed to being swarmed by the perky, beautiful young ladies who want nothing more from them than a good time. A service such honourables are willing to offer in exchange for their perverted indulgences before they return home to their families.
Whereas people are always quick to blame the slay queens for being who they are, (surprisingly) I always argue in their favour. A slay queen does not hide who she is or what she does. The honourables, on the other hand, are quick to condemn such women in public, but use them to fulfil their myriad of perverted fantasies in private.
My basis for such arguments has always been to paraphrase the law of supply and demand: if there was no market for slay queens, they would not exist. If the numbers of slay queens has increased, it is because the demand for such services has also increased.
For as long as there are willing sellers and willing buyers, slay queens, sugar babies and Ben 10s will always exist.