The bubu cannot be the ‘Rich Auntie’ uniform
Holding everybody’s hand with my manicured hands as I say this: please stop wearing a bubu and calling it ‘rich auntie vibes’.
The loosely-fitted, flowy, wide-sleeved dress that is a bubu (or boubou) is versatile; it is a no-fuss outfit for staying in, running errands, and, in special fabrics and with the right accessories, a formal, graceful attire with deep cultural heritage. What it absolutely isn’t is this universal uniform of the force of nature that is the ‘Rich Auntie’ (capitalised, because I must show respect).
The Rich Auntie lifestyle is one characterised by a woman’s financial independence, confidence, personal fulfilment, and intentional living, typically without children of her own. The Rich Auntie, living a full life on her own terms, has her own individual, specific point of view, through which she enthusiastically explores fashion. She does not subscribe to dress codes regarding what is deemed appropriate for her age and stature, nor what is popular. She wears what she wants and has fun with it. And so in the first place, the very idea of some ‘uniform’ for the Rich Auntie is untenable.
But were I to entertain the possibility of a world in which Rich Aunties gathered to agree on a singular garment that would immediately say to everyone who saw them, “Here I am, your assigned Rich Auntie, ready to stand tall as the example of living life to the max at any age!” it would never, ever, in a million years, be a bubu.
1. The Rich Auntie’s style inspires the next generation of daring, fashionable babes.
WHO is inspired by a bubu? The miniskirt-wearing-at-46 Rich Auntie is admired by younger women and girls in her life because she pushes against restrictive norms of propriety. Despite being told she is a cautionary tale (because she is childfree and/or unmarried), her nieces deem her iconic and aspire to live a life as free, stylish, and hobby-filled as their aunt’s. In a world where modesty in the form of covering up is preached toward women, the bubu challenges nothing. It does not elicit judgmental side-eyes from older aunties at the family gathering. Where is the fun, excitement, verve, and audacity in a bubu?
I invite everyone eagerly describing their bubu-and-slippers outfit of the day as ‘rich auntie aesthetic’, to ask which teenage girl would be excited to play in their closet, or has them in her mind’s eye as the picture of freedom to wear whatever she wants when she no longer lives under the oppressive thumb of her strict parents.
2. Inherent in the ‘Rich Auntie’ lifestyle is the self-indulgent process of getting dressed.
The Rich Auntie, unburdened by the unpaid gendered labour of wifing and mothering (which would rob her of her leisure), has the freedom of time and disposable income to indulge in the frivolity of fashion and in the process of getting dressed. This decadent process of getting ready is just as treasured as the polished outcome.
This begs the question of the process out of which you reach for a bubu. When you throw on a bubu, are you doing so as a deliberate choice, made through the indulgent process of trying on different fits to find the exact confident look you are looking for? Or do you throw it on because you are looking for the quickest way to be out of the door and still look okay? With the resurgence of tie-and-dye fabrics in vibrant colours, and new boubou necklines and silhouettes promoted by refreshing brands like Dye Lab, Gallant Belle, Kai Collective, February by Serwaa, etc., it is increasingly easier, when overwhelmed with life’s busyness, to just throw something on and go, without looking like your troubles.
But this focus on ease, which has you donning a bubu when you cannot dedicate time and effort toward getting ready, is precisely why the bubu cannot be indicative of the Rich Auntie lifestyle. If you do not have the time to commit to the process of exploring your style and having fun with clothes, and you resort to throwing on a bubu and going… then you are decidedly NOT a Rich Auntie. Rich Aunties do not throw it on and go.
Our post-pandemic world has brought (blessedly) comfort as a focus in fashion: Crocs are acceptable to wear out; brands offer soft, breathable fabrics as a value proposition; kitten heels are back in style, offering a polished look without stress on the ankles. So it makes sense that the bubu would make a massive and welcome comeback. But this categorisation of bubus as ‘Rich Auntie’ is odd. Feel free to wear the bubus, but for the love of all that is playful, irreverent, and unexpected about true Rich Aunties, drop the label.
There are many ways to implement some small luxuries of a Rich Auntie lifestyle now, while the status is still aspirational. But instead of resorting to a bubu, consider a more indulgent approach to getting dressed. Maybe acquire matching lingerie sets to wear as your everyday underwear, wear a signature scent, maintain an extensive body and skin care routine, pay for laundry service, indulge in extra care for your hair, get custom jewellery to mark new milestones, have some fun with your clothes!
A bubu is simply not it.