Are Nigerian millennials gradually warming up to public displays of affections?

Back in the day, it was totally frowned upon to be seen engaging in any form of Public Displays of Affection (PDA).
Anyone caught doing it was seen as immoral as this went against the Nigerian religious and cultural belief systems.
Recent trends online show that many young people in Africa’s most populous nation may not be as averse to PDA as their parents were.

In certain foreign countries, it is not uncommon to see lovers holding hands, kissing and other forms of PDA.

The same could not be said for Nigeria where it was regarded as a perverse and immoral practice associated with loose people that have no home training.

With the internet slowly shrinking the world into an interconnected global village, the millennial generation is now exposed to other cultures.

The result is that more young people are not as opposed as their parents were to showy displays of affection between partners.

It is becoming acceptable to see Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat and Whatsapp littered with intimate pictures accompanied by love emojis and cute captions.

This social media PDA is seen as a form of validation, with many now interpreting a reluctance to show off one’s partner online as a sign that there is something wrong with the relationship.

ALSO READ: 90’s babies are turning Naija’s wedding culture on its head

Not everyone is on board

Despite the growing normalisation of PDA among Nigerian millennials, especially online, we still have people who prefer to keep things private as their parents did.

Some members of this group prefer to keep things private, at least until there is an official, legitimate union of the lovers. Then, all bets are off.

Then, all bets are off.

While some hold strongly to the mentality that some things are meant to stay behind closed doors, not in public places.

Regardless of where you stand, it is important to remember that PDA does not have to make or break your relationship.

There is nothing wrong with keeping things private just between you and your partner without turning your relationship into a community project that everyone seems to know everything about.

As Nigerian actress, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde told Pulse: “I know that this generation and this time we’re in is very difficult to not want to put everything out there… "

Omotola says her husband and her complement each other nicely [Credit: Instagram/Omotola Jalade Ekeinde] Instagram/Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde

"But I think you need to work on yourself. You know, if you have to struggle to hold yourself from putting something out there, there’s nothing wrong with you actually."

And if you decide to partake in some PDA, please remember to be considerate of others and keep things cute, not gross.