Lydia's Weekly Lifestyle blog is for today's African girl, so no subject is taboo. My purpose is to share things which may interest today's African girl.

This week's contributors: Lydia, Pépé Pepinière, this week's subjects: How to get the most out of your African Fashion wardrobe, Sex or money, Finances again, Hormones.

How to get the most out of your African Fashion wardrobe

African fashion is a vibrant and diverse expression of culture, identity, and creativity. There are many ways to style and accessorize your African outfits, whether they are made from traditional fabrics like Ankara, Kente, or Dashiki, or modern designs inspired by African aesthetics.
Here are some suggestions on how to maximize your African fashion wardrobe:
• Mix and match different prints and patterns. You can create a unique and eye-catching look by combining different African prints, such as patchwork, floral, geometric, or animal motifs. For example, you can wear a mixed African print maxi dress or a sleeveless patchwork African print peplum top with solid-colored pants or skirts.
• Layer your pieces for versatility and warmth. You can layer your African outfits with jackets, coats, sweaters, or scarves to create different looks for different seasons and occasions. For example, you can wear a fashionable Ankara print duster coat over a simple dress or a stylish African print wrap top over a t-shirt or blouse.
• Accessorize with jewelry, shoes, bags, and head wraps. You can add some flair and personality to your African outfits by choosing accessories that complement or contrast with your prints and colors. For example, you can wear a statement necklace, earrings, or bracelet with a simple African print dress or a colorful head wrap, shoes, or bag with a monochrome outfit.
• Experiment with different styles and silhouettes. You can explore different African dress styles, such as maxi, midi, mini, wrap, peplum, off-shoulder, halter, or bodycon. You can also try different African skirt styles, such as mermaid, pencil, pleated, layered, or high-low. For example, you can wear a contemporary African print peplum dress or a Kente mermaid pencil skirt for a formal or professional look, or an African print off-shoulder dress or a Dashiki bodycon dress for a casual or party look.

• Support local and ethical African fashion brands. You can get the most out of your African fashion wardrobe by choosing quality pieces that are made with care and respect for the environment and the people who make them. You can also support the African fashion industry by buying from local and ethical African fashion brands that celebrate and promote African culture and heritage. For example, you can check out some of the brands that I featured in my 30 days of the best African Outfits for Women series, such as www.odefille.africa Ghana, The Lotte Ghana, Elle Lokko Ghana, Rogue Wave Angola, Andila Namibia, Habby Rose, L’aviye, Yomo London, Ankara Diva Design, Inudun African Shop, Divine Couture, La Mode Afrique, Christy Brown Ghana, St Zandas, Colossal Couture, Africa Clothing, D’Iyanu, Shenbolen, Ofuure, Priceless Culture, Grass-Fields, Naborhi, Bestfit Couture, Oludan Fashion, Issik, and Fareel Clothing.

Sex or money, which one first? Most of us will choose money, noblesse oblige. So this week we'll talk more money, for next week I have already prepared a very unusual story about sex and unusual human behaviour.

Finances again. So inflation is eating your few savings away. Under the current economic circumstances saving money in banks or treasury bills is not a good thing. If you have surplus money you'd do better to buy things you'll need anyway, and if your surplus money is big you'd better invest it in land. (which is a chapter on its own, I think more people get cheated than not in land purchases). If land is rather too big then buy Dollars and put them under your mattress. Sounds funny but right now I can't think of anything better and safer. But only do this if you don't need the money for say at least a month. If you buy Dollar today and you sell it tomorrow you will lose. But typically, the Dollar goes up about 1-2% per month and then your difference between buying and selling disappears. The advantage of buying Dollars rather than things you need anyway, or land, is that you can change the Dollars into Cedis at any moment, it is quick. So you are ever ready for messages like “Grandma swallowed cutlass, send money”.
The above is serious, but also on a serious note, there are investment opportunities with for example Republic Bank and Home Finance Company (HFC). There will be others. They use your money to buy hard currency (the mattress thing, but they get interest on it), but also Ghana Treasury Bills (T bills for the insiders), real estate, and to invest into the Ghana stock market. Over a number of years, they typically have results a little bit above the inflation rate, or more than what the Dollar on its own would have gained. Next time I'll explain how to double your money

Hormones. For most of us hormones either mean the contraceptive pills or menopause medication. There is also insulin,

for diabetes, though many don’t realize this is a hormone, and in fact insulin is the first hormone to be isolated, copied and used on humans. I recently came across an article on hormones and it made me shiver. None of these hormones work in isolation, most are produced in several places in the body, and all have multiple effects, in case of too many hormones multiple effects, and in case of insufficiency again multiple effects. For example, if you take the Estrogen and Progestin anti-pregnancy pill, fat chance that you will suffer one or several of the following: acne, arms pain, breast enlargement, chest pain, breath shortness, depression, diarrhea, dizziness, fever, hair loss, headache, leg pain, mood swings, rash, sexual desire changes, stomach pain, skin blemishes, swelling of ankles and feet, tiredness, vaginal bleeding, vaginitis, vision blurring, vomiting or weight gain. Pray that you don’t suffer all.....With the result that many now shy away from the pill and go for an IUD (intra uterine device)

which mechanically blocks the sperm from reaching its goal. In the meantime, we have isolated hormones which control mood, pleasure, muscle growth, sex drive, appetite, happiness, and others. So indeed, it would be nice if you could just take a pill and be happy, or have more sex drive (or give him the opposite in his soup), were it not for the multiple and mostly still not fully understood effects and side effects. The way I understood the article, all hormones influence and need each other, all have multiple effects, and once the balance between all these movers (hormone means I excite or arouse in Greek) is disturbed doctors have a very difficult time getting things right again. So, I would say, as long as this is a very blurred medical area, stay away from them if you can.

Lydia...

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