For any social network groupie, a name like Maheeda doesn’t need any form of introduction.
All thanks to her for stripping down Nigeria’s entertainment
Walk Of Fame or Walk Of Shame, stirring up emotions on her wake. Maheeda would
have probably been sitting on a long thing if she had decided to lull her way
into our hearts. But instead, she chose to put everyone on a much longer thing
with her strip tease. And in the process, she snatched the “Queen of the Naked”
crown from Afro Candy with her head still attached to it.
Judging by her body
language, anyone gunning for that crown should be ready to outstrip her and
inspire more damning comments than hers, something like, ‘Maheeda please put on
your pants,’ ‘Tufiakwa, Maheeda you are a disgrace to womanhood,’ ‘Maheeda
please go get a shave,’ ‘Maheeda you are a prostitute, you are crazy, you are
rotten,’ and so on. These are comments that have helped in her star quest. But
the clear consensus from supposed haters and secret admirers alike is that
Maheeda is hot. And in showbiz, that’s the least crime anyone can be charged
for. In other words, blaming Maheeda for exploiting the show part of the
business whether to her advantage or not is a matter for another article.
Some of you reading this article know for certain that if
Maheeda was getting paid for every of your clicks on her posts, she probably
would be one of the richest celebs in Nigeria today. For God’s sake, enough
with the hates. Leave Maheeda alone. Everything she does is off a well-written
script and she plays her role perfectly well just like Kim in keeping up with
the Kardashians. And I guess everyone but Nollywood can see her potentials.
Well, who can blame our poor dear Nolly? It is not her fault that she was born
blind. Whether anyone sees it or not, it is without a doubt that she has made a
powerful statement and used controversy to boost her career. Her stunts are no
way different from what we have seen in the past from well known artistes in
other climes.
The charges brought against her by some self-righteous
critics are ironic considering that a lot of our musical videos today are about
shaking of bum bum by semi-nude vixens.
Is she seeking for attention? Of course she is. But aren’t
we all here in entertainment for that sole purpose? Yes, she is pulling a
stunt, but not a crass and irresponsible one like most people say. NBC can
never be too quick to wield its hammer and lecture of why it should not be
allowed for public viewing, because the kids can easily get traumatised. Some
of today’s teenagers will easily wave it off as nothing. Besides, Maheeda has
never said she wanted to be a role model for kids.
That is Ben 10’s Job. All my
life as a musician, I have never come across anything as the perfect formula
for making a hit song. You can only decide a more convenient and cost effective
way to publicise your works to your audiences. It is said that there is no bad
publicity in entertainment, meaning the criticisms further point her in the
right direction towards her desired aims. Nudity and music videos are two
things that go great together. Artistes have been pushing envelopes for years
and using their bodies as extras to woo audiences.
From Alanis Morissette’s
“Thank U” to Lady Gaga’s “Telephone,” artistes have been stripping down in
their videos. In 1999, the American rock band, Blink 182 moved down the streets
almost naked in their “What’s My Age” video. D’Angelo revealed his well
chiselled abs and almost revealed his penis in his year 2000 “Untitled” (How
Does It feel). Robbie Williams also stripped off his clothes and even his skin
to impress girls in the “Rock DJ” video that same year. More artistes have gone
nude or semi-nude in their music videos, like Britney Spears and Madonna, while
Erykah Badu’s very popular “Window Seat” video shows her stripping off her
clothes while walking through the famed Dealey plaza in her native Dallas.
Television in Nigeria is fast becoming a graveyard of dead
and boring programmes due to the strict regulations of NBC. While videos like
Maheeda’s and Timaya’s Ukwu are gaining more viewers for cable TV channels.
I recently stumbled on a TV interview with Maheeda angrily
talking about the comments made by Charles Novia about her personality. It was
an interview that revealed nothing we didn’t already know about Maheeda anyway.
But how monotonous can an interview get, asking Maheeda how many minutes she
takes to put on her panty hose? How she pictures her as someone who loves
getting dressed beats me. Hello, your question should be how many minutes it
takes her to get undressed. I guess Maheeda only got dressed that day because
the TV station must have insisted on it. And the fact that they are not a cable
TV channel. I am sure Maheeda would have loved having NBC choke to death
watching her naked tattoo-riddled body on TV. Who wouldn’t! Not that the death
of NBC would have bothered any entertainer anyway, least of all Maheeda.
NBC’s
funeral might even call for street carnivals all over the Nigerian
entertainment-dom. Nobody requires NBC approval to take off their clothes. I
remember seeing a video teaser of Maheeda for the first time on facebook and I
thought it was indeed interesting. But I will quickly advise anyone who intends
going on a naked pilgrimage like Maheeda’s, to first and foremost develop a
thick skin as a buffer for public backlash. But some entertainment stakeholders
will argue that the only true contingency in entertainment is get criticised
and get popular with it. I won’t be wrong to assume that a lot of people
actually await her next stunt.
There’s definitely no wahala in nudity as far as
the world of art is concerned. In entertainment over the years, we have seen
crazier things done with the intent of getting the message across. Erykah Badu
for instance got a fair dosage of criticism and respect for her “Window Seat”
video. Maheeda seems prepared to deal with the consequences, good or bad. She
has already made it clear to all and sundry that she believes in what she does.
And I think it is great.
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