Celia Khumalo, My Grandmother

Having been raised by my late grandmother, I can attest to grandmothers not only imparting wisdom to young girls, but also a sense of style which comes with grace. I was raised by my beautiful grandmother and at some point I considered her to be my mother because she was more around me than my mother.

My grandmother was everything a woman should be. She was gorgeous, smart, serene, optimistic, loving, caring and sophisticated. Yes she was the most stylish woman I have ever met. At a tender age of 50-62, I remember how she would comb her long, grey hair. She never relaxed it though but it was always straightened and soft…. Wonder how she did that…. I would watch her take a bath more than twice a day, she would tell me that “ as a woman, you have to bath before going to bed. Your grandfather doesn’t bath because he is lazy and doesn’t appreciate the beauty of being a man, so you have to appreciate the beauty of being a woman.”

Everyday was a dress-up day for her. She would, after cleaning the house and over seeing that the farm goes well, she would bath and wear her tribal-printed dress with a nicely tied turban. She always put emphasize in moisturizing your hands. She had beautiful, lenient yet strong hands.

My grandmother had all the trendiest items, well she was not aware of that but she had this fur coat that was to die for. Apparently my grandfather bought it for her. I wanted to take it when she passed on but I was only 13 at that time and it couldn’t fit well.

Going to church was like going to a fashion -show -intimate -dinner date with God. With vanity my grandmother would wear her nicely tailored skirt, heels, a small clutch which had a bible and Vaseline ( for her lips). She looked so pretty. I admired that. I wanted to be like her. I always said when I grow up I will dress up like her.

My grandmother didn’t understand women who never took a shower, she would say “one doesn’t need to be going somewhere to bath and look nice, like a woman”

My grandmother did everything with poise, panache, dignity and style. Regarding of how busy she was with running a big family, a farm and my grandfather who was more of a child, lol, she still had time to be beautiful. She made time to be pretty out of all the madness.

When I  last saw her in hospital, her hair was still long, her lips, softly curled, her hands strong, her smile wide and she said to me, “You shouldn’t have came, I am fine, go home and PRAY”

My grandmother is not just my protagonist, my role model, my goddess; she is my fashion and style icon. She was here as an elegant, phenomenal woman, she lived and she loved.