Times Toke Makinwa bashed men, encouraged women to be independent

Actress and media personality, Toke Makinwa, has undoubtedly made a mark for herself in her career. She is also an advocate for women being financially independent and has often advised women not to depend on men for validation. Sunday Scoop x-rays some of such instances

On men’s definition of a strong woman

On May 31, 2022, Makinwa took to her Instagram page to state how she thinks Nigerian men see strong women. She wrote, “Nigerian men’s definition of a strong woman is long-suffering, emotional abuse and a high tolerance for accepting bad behaviour. You will hear them say, ‘She turned the boy in me into a man’. That means her name is ‘endurance’; the woman has endured.

“Women are seen as strong by the amount of crap they endure till the man is ready to give her peace. When they (men) meet women who stand up for themselves, they label them as being wayward and too opinionated. Who is society again?”

‘Men see beautiful girls as proud’

In September 2021, the media personality stated that men have the assumption that beautiful girls are proud. She said, “They (men) have these assumptions that beautiful girls are proud. When one is beautiful and rich, people think that one is arrogant. People assume that one always has guys around one. It is like fine guys do not even want to talk to one. Little wonder, you see fine guys with ugly girls.

“Guys think that beautiful girls have plenty of admirers and are always busy. That is why they don’t ‘shoot their shot’ (ask for a relationship). But, that is not the case. As a matter of fact, the most beautiful girls are not really chased by men. Some men feel oppressed by a lady’s beauty. Even if a lady has 10 admirers, a man should try his luck, and he could end up being the lucky man.”

Encouraging women to know their worth and not feel oppressed by men, she said, “These days, men think they can do the bare minimum and expect women to fall at their feet. A woman should know her worth, so she does not end up settling for less. A beautiful woman is not arrogant; she simply knows her worth. Some guys like ugly girls, so that they can oppress them and make them feel worthless. Don’t judge her (beautiful woman) by what you see. Simply take the bold step and woo her.”

‘Women must seek financial freedom’

In June 2020, she advised women to seek financial freedom. She posted on her Instagram page, “Dear woman, I see you. You rock, keep raising the bar, keep shattering the ceiling, keep pushing that envelope. Financial freedom is a ‘must’ for us women. Being able to do it for yourself certainly has to be the goal. It is nice to have help, it is nice to come from wealth but it is important to raise women to believe that wealth is not gender-based.”

She added that she was proud of all the women who were making efforts to build wealth. She said, “I am super proud of all the women out there steady building. I bought my dream home at 35 years old, (not my first property). While there certainly isn’t an age cap, seeing young ladies do it (succeed) in their 20s is such an inspiration. I love you all. It is okay to have help; it is a blessing to have a healthy inheritance. Don’t let anybody shame or make you apologise for how you were born. Instead, strive to be able to do the same for your own kids. Do not let it stop with you. Keep pushing.”