Yetunde Bakare, a popular Nollywood actress, claims that women who lie about their age do so to gain recognition or to experience a sense of youth.
She claims that women of many areas of life, not only actors, engage in the practice of fibbing about their age.
“Lying about one’s age isn’t restricted to superstars alone since a lot of people do it nowadays,” she told Sunday Scoop. For some, it’s their significant others, and for others, it’s the recognition it would bring. Some people do it to attract attention or to improve their employment prospects. It’s something that many people do, across many fields.
When deciding to perform in films, I consider factors other than compensation. – Uti Nwachukwu
“Many ambitious single women do it to find Mr Right. Dating an older lady is frowned upon by men in this culture. Therefore, most of the time, women lie about their age to feel more attractive.
Bakare explained that she had been too preoccupied with the struggles of being a single mother to have time for acting roles.
“As much as I love my work, I had to confront reality as a single mother,” she explained. Since I wasn’t making much money to begin with, my obligations have grown and I don’t want my enthusiasm to turn me into a beggar (money). Consequently, I got an education and launched a business, both of which now consume my time extensively. Being a business owner has taught me to be pickier about the roles I choose, since “if I have to leave my business to travel to a movie location, then the screenplay and compensation must be worth it.”
