Tanya Stephens To Dancehall Fans: Stop ‘Offering Me Wigs And Makeup’
Veteran Dancehall artiste Tanya Stephens is going against the grain and calling out society’s unrealistic expectations of women as they age. It’s no secret we are in the social media age of perfectly proportioned curves, carefully slicked edges and hair, and super smooth skin – whether achieved by slavish skincare routines or the best filters in popular apps.
Many who are unable to keep up with the high maintenance lifestyle that demands time and money might be feeling the pressures if they are not conforming to the norms. Tanya Stephens, though, has a message for those seeking to impose their beauty standards on her. In an Instagram video posted on July 23, she called out persons who have been offering to do her hair and make-up and revealed that she has no interest in those things as she prefers to be all-natural.
The 47-year-old says she has no problems accepting her age and pointed out several flaws with her skin now that she is older. They mainly include hyperpigmentation around the cheeks and dark circles around her eyes. She noted that her skin is no longer the same tone it once was, and that might be partly because she didn’t have a skin regimen as she didn’t care for it.
Comparing her left cheek, which was natural versus the right cheek that had make-up, Stephens noted that she was wearing Iman foundation to cover the uneven skin tone and dark circles. The singer juxtaposed the two sides of her face and stated that she was “saddened by the fact that when we get older, even the older people demand we have to do aesthetic things, superficial things, and cosmetic things to engage them in conversation, for them to “not be distracted.”
Stephens added that women, as they age, might feel pressured and will “package themselves in a way to appeal” to fans, but she is “not going to indulge that.”
The Big Ninja Bike singer has rarely been seen done up even for performances, most times opting for sunglasses. She pointed out that she wears those glasses as her eyes have light sensitivity, and the dark lens helps with the issue.
Beyond that, the singer said she doesn’t feel obligated to conform to unrealistic beauty standards that are expected by her fans local and aboard. “You shouldn’t need me to, I’m not obligated to…it’s not my responsibility to make you feel better in your illusion or make you feel more comfortable in your illusions.”
She pointed out that anybody who needs her to do anything to her face to tolerate her “is nobody she needs,” and added that she doesn’t need validation from outside.
To the persons offering her wigs and to do her make-up, she instead offered that they reach out to women who are desperately in need of these things, including women who are going through chemotherapy for cancer and are struggling to cope with the loss of their hair.
She added that her daughter is a talented, Hollywood trained, make-up artist who does her make-up if she requests. “If you want to help- go to the cancer society- donate the wigs and help those who have undergone chemo and lost their hair. Many are suffering from PTSD from losing their hair because of the expectations of society placing value on hair,” she said.
The Alone Together artiste flashed her pleasant smile showing her dimples as she expressed her love for her fans and thanked them for their offers.
Her opinions seem to resonate with her followers, with over 22k views and hundreds of comments on the video. One noted, “dem nah goh like yuh but dem affi respeck yuh skills…period.”
Another fan said, “…this video is everything. These people are so uncomfortable with themselves that they try to spread the disease of self hatred. Idk how not to love u holistically nah.”
One male follower asked the artiste, “tanya when u going stop cuss,” before adding that he was joking. Tanya replied, saying that teenagers commit suicide from being bullied about their looks, as she referred to the irresponsible actions of adults who promote unrealistic standards, and there was no joke in what she was saying.
Clearly, many tried to cyberbully Stephens with another man drawing reference to Tanya’s hairstyle that needed “brushing”, to which she replied in jest “bout frizzed…need fi go cratch him batty pon bab wya.”- (Translated for the non-Patois speakers – he should scratch his butt over barbed wires).
And of course, being the queen of clapbacks, she responded to another commenter who told her to eat fruits and put raw potato slices under her eyes “…within my circle exist professionals from every field. I do not need potato advice from random strangers on social media. Go volunteer at the burn unit of the nearest hospital to you and your skin expertise will find its place in this universe.”
One thing we can agree on is that Tanya has always had dark under-eye circles, as evident from many videos and documentaries of her shows from the early 2000s. These also show that she has always preferred bare skin and sometimes jewelry. However, not many persons are fond of the new fads, and while clearly stating her preference, she did say that she has nothing against persons who choose to indulge, she only has an issue with those imposing their standards on others.