Aso Ebi: Fashioning self through photography and 'fashion' magazines in Nigeria

Abstract

In Nigeria, fashion and photography have become powerful forces in the construction of self. In this essay, I see photographers as central players in this development, and I examine the intersections of aso ebi, photography and popular media consumption - in the form of popular magazines - in Lagos. The essay argues that photography and fashion are mutually interdependent in the Lagos social circle. It argues that aso ebi dressing, and fashion as such, are taken more seriously in Lagos parties due mainly to the activities of a group of photographers especially connected to what is known as 'fashion' magazines in Nigeria. The essay discusses how photographers and 'fashion' magazines frame visual experiences and encounters through the styling and dissemination of images of people in aso ebi and various forms of 'traditional dresses'.