How Society Debases Single Ladies

The story 'Skinned' is a metaphor, set in a world where unmarried women are not allowed to wear clothes. Instead, they walk around completely naked until a man ‘claims’ (marries) them.

The nakedness is a symbol of singleness in African countries, Nigeria to be precise.

The married women are clothed by the ring they wear while the single ladies are naked, unclothed since they don’t wear rings.

The story is about Ejem, an unclothed lady judged to be too old to still remain naked, unclothed, unclaimed by a man.

Through Ejem, we see how single women are open to rebukes and judgments for their singleness and often, people try to use it as a way to abuse them. This is shown when Ejem refuses to show her breasts to some boys on the road. They end up abusing her, as if she should be grateful that a man is paying any attention to her. Just like in our society, when single women refuse to be seen as vulnerable or refuse to give in to abuse by liars and deceitful men, they are labeled as rude and it is assumed that their rudeness is the reason they could not get married.

While plying her products to the neighbours of her married friend, Chidinma, they all offer to set her up with a man. In their minds, they are doing her a favor, after all, she should be desperate, ready to accept any man at all, be he lame, an imbecile, smelling, uncouth or poor. Then they give her advice on how to improve herself, to better attract a man.

Meanwhile, Chidinma gets angry when her husband seems to be interested in Ejem’s nakedness and rudely ends the friendship. Is it not a common occurrence among newly married women to end all friendships with single girls, as if they have upgraded their level in the society and can no longer associate with the less privileged single friends? How about the part where the women are the ones publicly beaten and paraded naked when caught with married men? As if the men were innocent lamb, wrongly tempted by the single Jezebels.

Even in her job, Ejem’s unclaimed, unclothed singleness is a distraction for her male colleagues and ultimately, she loses her job because even the safely married female Head of HR blames her for still been available and being a temptation to the men in the Board Room. It seems like there’s no place in society for single women where they feel comfortable and safe. Everyone is looking at them like something is wrong with them for not being able to be claimed by a man.

A building occupied by more uncovered, unmarried women gets caught in a fire accident where some women lose their lives but the mayor said the unmarried women should leave the respectable area and go ply their nakedness elsewhere.  Isn’t that similar to when landlords refuse to rent out apartments to single girls, branding them as prostitutes who will only carry married men and cause fights in the compound?

In her quest for a new job, Ejem is asked constantly why she is yet unmarried since she is not an osu. Isn’t that likely to our society where the first thing people ask an unmarried girl why she is not yet married? She gets pitiful looks from older women and scorned by younger teenage girls who vow that they will never find themselves in her condition. They are too smart and beautiful for that.

Ejem meets Odinaka, a wealthy unclaimed woman who dares to cover herself and is protected by her wealth. Isn’t this the plight of single girls working average jobs? You can only be safe from society’s judgement and debasement if you are at least, wealthy. You can be forgiven for your eccentricity and it is perceived that your singleness is your choice, not an inability to get a man to claim you.

When Odinaka gifts Ejem with a cloth, she is afraid to wear it. This is how single ladies are afraid to be confident, to refuse to be cowed and give in to the shame society wants them to wear since they have failed in their basic life duty.

At a party, a man tells Ejem she seems reasonable enough, why is she unclaimed? Isn’t that what we ask girls who seem to be beautiful, smart, morally upright and still single? Like they have a deeper problem than usual.  

When Ejem dares to wear a cloth outside the building, she is shocked by how she is treated differently by strangers, men and women alike, how they respect her and are polite to her, thinking her a married woman. Is it a wonder then that some single women wear rings just to get respect?

Ejem meets her estranged married friend and when she reveals that she clothed herself, that no man claimed her, Chidinma informs her rudely that no matter what she wears, she is still naked. Much like how society insists that a woman remains incomplete and unfulfilled without a man, regardless of how successful or confident she may be.

In the end, Ejem does not find the happiness and freedom she seeks. No matter what she does, society will judge her for what is a woman without a man?