Enioluwa Adeoluwa Tells What It’s Like Advocating for Other Femme Boys in Nigeria in Paper Magazine

The very first time I ever had makeup on was in my second year at the University. Friends of mine were playing with their makeup and I was interested in it. Although, makeup on boys was not a popular thing back then and, even if you knew about it, it was most likely because you saw it on TV. So I kept on trying makeup; I used to watch Jackie Aina a lot, too. But I’ve always been into skincare since I was a little boy. Growing up, there were times when we’d have visitors around and they’d all admire my beauty because I had really clear skin, and my mum used to think I was using a certain cream on my face [laughs]. I used to play with my mum’s skincare products; she had different products and, at that time, skincare was not like what it is now.

On what he thinks is responsible for the stigma surrounding men’s makeup:

There’s a reason why everybody says representation is important. When you don’t see certain things, the first time you see them they may look weird. This goes even beyond men’s makeup and cuts across so many other aspects of life. Once you start to see things and see other people, you start to feel like there are people that are like this. Although, it’s becoming very normal. Even when I go out with makeup on, people are no longer shocked; most people even think it’s cute. That’s the reaction now because there’s this representation on social media. You’re now seeing boys that wear makeup and other young boys can also see boys like them that exist. That’s why representation is so important.

Photo Credit: @theginstarp