African Tribal Woman In Grocery Store Captivates Internet, Prompts Hoax Theories [NSFW Photos]

Perhaps it’s the dichotomy of old meeting new. Maybe it’s all the mud that the African woman from the Himba tribe sports in her hair and on her body. Or, more than likely, it could be the close-up NSFW photos of the African tribeswoman, who is shown elegantly walking through a grocery story. Either way, the Daily Mail article showing the Himba tribeswoman in the supermarket is going viral.

Published in the wee hours of Saturday, September 3, the article quickly gained 2,400 social media shares and more than 100 comments — standing out as one of the latest headlines on the website being shared at a rapid clip.

What’s so fascinating about the article? The African woman is show all done up in goat skins, with her hair appearing to be wrapped in a brownish-red mud, similar to the style of locks seen in the below photo of a different Himba tribeswoman.

The woman at the center of the viral article almost appears to be posing for some sort of marketing campaign, as she shops for laundry detergent with her sleeping baby strapped to her back.

Captured via photos taken by Bjorn Persson, a photographer who is Swedish and normally documents wildlife, the woman is thought to be in her 20s. However, as the popular African-American saying goes, “Black don’t crack,” so there’s no telling how old the woman really is. The only clues are the fact that she is carrying a young child, therefore likely could be a young woman herself.

The mud is often used by the Himba tribe out of Opuwo, Namibia, a country in southwest Africa, for protection from the sun — and apparently as a grooming tool.

In one of the photos, a woman in the background can be seen staring at the Himba woman, a member of a tribe that dresses as they like for their own traditional reasons and beautification methods, not for tourists.

The Himba tribeswoman eventually realized she was being photographed, said Bjorn. She took some shoppers by surprise, while others weren’t as fascinated as those who’ve seen Himba women shopping in stores before.

The African women show a mix of modern conveniences meeting ancient traditions, as one photo on the site proves, as it shows a mobile phone hanging near the bare breast of another tribeswoman. The Himba tribe has approximately 50,000 members.

The fact that a woman from the Himba tribe popped into her local grocery store to buy laundry detergent, flour and sugar — the essentials of modern life — struck Bjorn as a fascinating thing, even if others consider such a grocery store trip old hat.

Apparently, plenty of people online agree with Bjorn — and are reacting to the striking photos in a variety of ways. While many people call the woman beautiful and elegant, some are criticizing the photographer for capturing the scantily-clad woman in photos as if she were an animal or other wildlife. Some of the comments by folks who’ve viewed the photos can be read below.

“Exquisite woman, beautiful people!”

“Well no one can question her self esteem.”

“So u took pics without asking first? She is a human not ‘wildlife’.”

“This is beautiful.”

“Well she’s lucky it’s not snowing outside.”

“What a great story but cannot get the feeling out of my head that this it a total set up.”

“Yet a Muslim woman is criticized for the way she dresses.”

“Probably a set-up to provoke some reaction from the authorities after the Burkini banning farce….”

“She IS allowed to shop like this.”

“Wonderful to see and she looks beautiful and happy and healthy. Compare her with the stuffed plastic chests and filled lips and pulled around faces of the other extreme of the West and I know which one I’d say is more beautiful!”

[Image via Shutterstock]