Powder, not just any powder but baby powder. Johnson’s baby powder, corn starch powder, anti-itch powder, powder in any grade and form, worn proudly by Bajan women! What is that all about?
It is a daily and nightly ritual. Hold a bath, fingernails polished, body cream shining pun the skin like precious rocks in Diamonds International showroom, hair made up, earrings, bangles and assorted jewellery, eight-inch heels that could be used to bore a three-inch hole in any assailant’s head, leather-type skin-fitting skirt above the knees, tight like plastic wrapping on a food stored in de fridge.
Close-fitting body top with plunging neckline, cellphone and then, just before exiting the door, the powder, all kinds of brands: Cussons, Johnson, Ammins, you name it and it visible all over the chest of these Bajan women. Powder!
And listen. It not restricted to any age group cause even the old girls wearing it, schoolgirls wearing it, mothers with babies wearing it and hot babes wearing it. Powder!
What is that all about? Even the panty girls round the Garrison at night wearing powder! Powder? is that supposed to be sexy? It does mek some of these women look like a salt bread ready fuh de oven at Purity bakeries!
Now I understand that we does use powder to keep babies cool, and to avoid rashes and so on, but after all by the time yuh reach three or four years old, nobody don’t want powder.
This thing does look so strange: women walking ‘bout town looking like if a five-pound bag of flour burst pun them chest. Some of them like them does be real proud of this powder thing!
It is truly an odd Bajan experience. And when they start to sweat. Wuh loss! It like wet cement!
Next is the inhalers. I see women all over Bubbadus with these objects permanently sticking out of their noses like if it is a fashion statement.
This thing is one that I just can’t fathom, like men who does walk round with a toothpick permanently hanging out their mouth like a cigarette and somehow these men like them think this thing look cool. It look real dotish!
And then there is this thing called clean-ups: beach clean-ups, parks clean-ups, gully clean-ups, to name a few. Now I Market Vendor is as civic-minded as anybody else, but what is the point of these clean-ups when the same nasty people will come the next day and leave new garbage all over the place again?
Isn’t that the the job of the National Conservation Commission to clean beaches and gullies and parks? So why must I pay taxes and then do the same work that they get paid to do?
We don’t want to talk bout the environment and keeping it clean, we don’t want to talk bout recycling nor separating garbage.
That poor lady Nicole Garafino at the Future Centre Trust trying she best, but we Bajans real set in we ways. We just don’t respect public areas, we refuse to be responsible, we polluting the gullies and water catchment areas day and night. But as the old people say, day does run till night catch it.
* Market Vendor gone fuh now, you have a blessed and a wonderful day, yuh hear!
