Top Nigerian celebrity makeup artist and stylist, Fred Ebikeme, better known as ‘Black Koko, has opened up about his sexuality as a “feminine boy” in Nigeria.
Black Koko, during a recent interview with BBC News Pidgin, addressed the common misconceptions surrounding men who behave like women and how people perceive them to be gay, because of their mannerisms.
“I see myself as Black Koko. You know the country that we are in. People like us, feminine boys like me and many others in Nigeria, the first thing that comes to people’s minds is that we are gay,” he said.
“But I want them to see the other side of men who behave like women; that we have other personalities apart from being gay. They can be bankers. Like me, I am a celebrity makeup artist and fashion stylist.”
Black Koko also reflected on his relationship with clients, noting that while most interactions are positive, there have been uncomfortable moments, particularly with husbands.
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“My customers don’t have issues with me. They even love me,” he said.
“The only issue I used to have with some of them was with their husbands. I remember one time I went to do makeup for a woman. I think the man followed me on Instagram.
“When I got to the house, the woman’s husband was at home, and he was like, ‘How would you let someone like this get into our house?’
“The man walked me out of the house while saying, ‘You cannot touch my wife. You are a possessed person.’”
Black Koko also spoke about the criticism he receives online.
“You know this country, they really don’t like a boy behaving like a woman. If you even go to my comment section, you will see how they insult me,” he said.
“Most of the time when I post on my Instagram, I don’t even check the comment section. Some people hide their identity because of the society we are in. A lot of people like me behave like girls but only show their feminine side when they are inside the house.
“Some of them go to the gym to hide their feminine side. Some act like men in the morning, and at night they are Beyoncé and Shakira inside their rooms, because society always talks down on them.”
