In Nigeria’s nightclubs, bathroom selfie is king – or, rather, queen

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In Nigeria's nightclubs, bath selfie is king - or, rather, queen

With its marbled walls, exposed lightbulbs and plentiful mirrors, the bath astatine The Library, a nightclub successful Lagos, Nigeria, is practically begging patrons to drawback a photo.

Then it comes, a connection delivered connected a gold-framed sign: “No selfies successful the restroom… conscionable kidding.”

In Nigeria, bath selfies are nary joke.

From the buzzing mega-city of Lagos to the stuffy superior Abuja and blimpish Kano successful the north, bars and lounges are decking retired their restrooms – not conscionable to drawback up with times but besides to bring successful caller customers.

AFP sent reporters to women’s bathrooms crossed Africa’s astir populous state to papers the trend.

Renovations person been made, mirrors rearranged and lighting adjusted. More is more: Marble and gold, sometimes of the faux variety, are fashionable plan choices.

At Zaza, a nightlife staple, pressing a fastener connected the bath partition volition summon a complimentary solid of champagne that pops done a tiny window. It’s each portion of a run to easiness nerves – and gully smiles – among those successful beforehand of the mirror.

“The decor plays a immense role, particularly for Nigerian ladies. And we effort to pull arsenic overmuch arsenic we can,” Johnny Franjeh, adjunct wide manager of Zaza, told AFP.

Inside, women adjusted the necklines of their brightly coloured dresses, swayed their hips and batted their fake eyelashes, phones successful hand.

The walls are adorned with floral wallpaper and aggregate mirrors, allowing for antithetic shooting angles.

From Abuja to Kano

There is thing successful it for the clubs, arsenic well: the escaped advertizing that comes with truthful galore radical posting their selfies to societal media – including influencers with monolithic followings.

One specified influencer, known arsenic Comiebarbie, with 100,000 followers connected Instagram, admitted that 1 of the archetypal things she does upon arriving to a trendy locale is to “quickly spell to the restroom with my friends truthful I tin instrumentality pictures”.

In the smartphone era, the bath reflector selfie mightiness beryllium a long-established trend.

But Lagos, a boisterous megalopolis location to much than 20 cardinal people, has recovered a mode to marque it an over-the-top novelty – arsenic person quieter places similar Abuja, the all-work-and-no-play planned metropolis that serves arsenic the nation’s capital.

Psychedelic-patterned walls adorn the “selfie room”, conscionable disconnected the women’s restroom astatine A Bar Called Paper, successful the upscale Maitama neighbourhood.

“The astir important happening I’m looking for is simply a suitable angle,” said Stephanie, a 26-year-old wearing a sequined, halter-neck dress, that reflected endlessly arsenic it bounced crossed aggregate mirrors.

The inclination extends each the mode up to Kano, the taste and economical superior of Nigeria’s mostly Muslim, mostly blimpish north.

At Antika, a lounge fashionable with the city’s youth, the dresses are looser and little revealing, their sleeves are longer and patrons’ make-up is much subtle.

But erstwhile they marque their mode to the bathroom, they person plentifulness successful communal with partygoers successful the south, spending agelong minutes playing with their reflections successful mirrors cautiously arranged against tropical wallpaper.