Former Permanent Secretary in the ICT Ministry, Dr Bitange Ndemo, on Thursday urged Kenyans to stop stereotyping against 'slay queens'.
The term has gained popularity in recent months and has mostly been associated with ladies with long hair, long nails, a great taste of fashion and a sweet tooth for expensive things.
Dr Ndemo, however, demystified the theory terming it "a retrogressive way of looking at things".
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"The misapplication of the term “slay queen” is turning back the clock with virtually every exceptionally dressed or smart woman being characterised as a slay queen.
"Many young men have been made to believe that most women have no interest or intentions of working their way up the social ladder.
"By keeping quiet about this growing misogynous conviction by conflicted men supported by incongruous women, we wrongly continue to undermine women’s achievements," wrote the former PS in a column in the Daily Nation.
He further highlighted the origin of the term stating that it was never meant to be negative.
"The term slay queen wasn’t meant to be a negative word. This slang word is believed to have been used for the first time in a comic by Sarah Andersen as a noun and a verb at the same time.
"In the comic, a young woman supposedly said, “Slaaaaayy queen, slaayy!” to a celebrity she adored," revealed Ndemo.
He concluded that there isn’t a common, stable description to identify a slay queen but stressed that people should not stereotype.
"Let’s stop presenting other human beings as more than what they really are. Ambition is native to all mankind and has never been an exclusive right to men.
"Women have a right to be ambitious too without being second-guessed," he remarked.
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