Magazine Image Of A ‘slay Queen’ From 55 Years Ago Resurfaces

There is an erroneous view that ‘slaying’ on social media and other forms of provocative self-presentation started with millennials and Gen Z.

It didn't.

The practice has been with us for decades, going as far back as the baby boomers. It was simply less pronounced because women did not have the platforms we have today to display themselves to such large audiences. Much of what was considered risqué or provocative was confined to nightclubs, private parties, exclusive social gatherings and other spaces frequented by the privileged.

Here is the front page of a major Lagos-based news magazine, Flamingo Magazine, described as ‘Africa's lively family magazine’, from its May 1971 edition. The cover features a sultry photograph of a dark-skinned woman posing seductively in a revealing top and white underwear.

According to the description on the cover, the woman “can cause a jam just by walking down a city street.”

That magazine is now 55 years old. If the woman was 18 when the photograph was taken and is still alive today, she would be 73.

So, before we accuse millennials and Gen Z of inventing the culture of displaying one's sexuality for public attention, perhaps we should look further back.

Who remembers the days of the ‘Sun Girls’? We also had 'Hints' and 'Hearts' making similar features.

The Sun newspaper regularly devoted a full page to a featured woman, accompanied by a short biography and her contact details. Beyond entertainment, these features became a means of publicity, social connection and, for some, a way of attracting potential admirers and wealthy suitors.

The point is not to condemn the women who participated in these forms of self-presentation. The point is to recognise that the demand for attractive, provocative and sexually suggestive content has existed for generations.

What has changed is the platform.

A woman who might once have needed a magazine editor, newspaper publisher, photographer or access to an exclusive social gathering can now reach thousands or even millions of people from her bedroom with a smartphone.

Social media has removed the gatekeepers. It has democratised visibility and turned personal presentation into a form of entertainment, influence and, in many cases, business.