They walk out of their marriages and into multi-million naira deals. You scroll past another headline. Brand X unveils newly divorced celebrity as ambassador.” Her skin glows, her smile is radiant, the press release is dripping with “resilience” and “reinvention.” But a quiet question rises in the mind.Where were these brands while she was married?

Why do all the lights seem to come on only after the vows have been shredded and the silence of heartbreak sets in or when the ring is taken off?

It’s not just one case. It’s a pattern. Over and over, brands in Nigeria and beyond are falling over themselves to reward women after they leave their marriages. Divorce, it seems, has become a career move. A fresh canvas. An open tab for endorsements. But let’s not kid ourselves, this isn’t about liberation or healing. It’s about virality. In an influencer economy, pain sells. And the algorithms love a phoenix moment.

Are these brands subtly pushing a narrative that marriage dims a woman’s shine? That to rise, a woman must first fall ,publicly and dramatically? And perhaps most disturbingly, are they romanticizing divorce to the point where it becomes aspirational?

This is not just about influencers. It’s about the family unit. And whether we’re slowly scripting its demise for the sake of viral engagement.

Make no mistake.This isn’t about empowering women. If it were, we would see the same energy extended to married women who are excelling quietly. But we don’t.  

If empowerment is truly the goal, it should extend to all women single, married, divorced, widowed. Not just the ones whose stories are headline-worthy. Where are the campaigns that celebrate the wife holding down a career and a home? The single woman building her empire without a dramatic breakup to boost her narrative? Real empowerment means elevating women in every stage of life, not just when they are deemed most marketable. Otherwise, it’s not empowerment, it’s exploitation with better lighting.The market doesn’t reward stability. It rewards spectacle.They say bad publicity sells better.The more turbulent the backstory, the more valuable the face on the billboard. Trauma, it seems, is the new marketing currency.

Are brands truly celebrating women’s strength, or simply exploiting their most vulnerable moments for visibility?

Now, flip the script. Do divorced male celebrities receive the same brand attention? Hardly. When a man leaves a marriage, society doesn’t expect a rebrand,it expects him to move on, quietly or scandalously, but certainly not with skincare deals and curated come-back photoshoots. The world doesn’t gather to applaud his healing, and brands don’t rush to tap into his emotional journey. There’s no “he glowed up after the divorce” campaign waiting for him. Why? Because the market doesn’t associate male heartbreak with beauty, resilience, or reinvention. His pain isn’t profitable. His silence isn’t sexy.This trend isn’t really about empowerment   it’s about what sells. And right now, what sells is a woman burning down her old life and emerging flawless from the ashes.

Let’s flip the lens. Why don’t we see these endorsements before the breakup? Why are married women, many of whom are thriving, powerful, and balanced, rendered invisible in the world of advertising? Why is the family unit no longer aspirational? In an era where everything is content, heartbreak has become a brand strategy. And slowly, the cultural message is shifting.Quiet commitment is boring. Public collapse is gold.

This is not a moral judgment against divorced women. Life is complex, and no one should stay in a toxic marriage. But we must question the culture we are building, a culture where brands swoop in not to support healing, but to capitalize on the moment when the internet is most emotionally invested. It’s not healing that gets sponsored. It’s drama. It’s not empowerment. It’s exploitation wearing a feminist wig.

And in all of this, the family unit quietly erodes. Young girls scroll through curated pain and see it crowned with champagne campaigns. They do not see the years of trying, the therapy, the compromise, the broken nights. They see a woman walking away and finally being seen.And sadly they aspire to be so.

The danger is not in celebrating resilience. The danger is in telling an entire generation that you must first be publicly wounded before you can be worthy of applause. That your power is only potent when it is packaged in post-trauma aesthetics.

And what message does this send to younger generations, especially girls? That commitment is overrated? That longevity in love is outdated? That public pain equals personal gain?

We are slowly scripting the family unit demise for the sake of viral engagement.

In fairness, survival in the digital age often demands visibility. Many Nigerian influencers, especially women, are forced to stay relevant by turning life into a storyline. Silence doesn’t pay the bills. Privacy doesn’t attract partnerships.

So when heartbreak hits, the only way to eat might be to spin it into content and hope the brands are watching.

Why do brand deals come pouring in only after the ring comes off? Are we glamorizing divorce or simply witnessing the freedom of unmuted female potential?

Consider these cases that reveal a curious trend. We’ve seen the pattern play out repeatedly well-known female figures who, post-divorce, suddenly become brand darlings. Their endorsements multiply, their visibility surges, and their social media feeds gleam with empowerment slogans and paid partnerships. It’s almost as if the breakup is the catalyst for the branding glow-up. These women are celebrated not just for surviving a split, but for turning it into a marketable moment. And while their resilience is admirable,   could be read as rebranding, the sheer frequency raises deeper questions.

Toke Makinwa

Post-divorce, Toke’s brand exploded. From launching a handbag line to landing major ambassadorial deals and becoming a leading voice in lifestyle conversations, her influence only grew after her separation.

Tiwa Savage

Tiwa’s music career hit global levels after her split from TeeBillz. Her image evolved into that of a bold, liberated, fashion-forward star who was finally in full control of her narrative and her

brand.

Mercy Aigbe

Following her divorce, Mercy reemerged as a fashion icon and entrepreneur. Her public appearances, endorsements, and media visibility all surged, further solidifying her as a solo brand force.

Ini Edo

Although not as public with her separation, Ini Edo’s brand experienced a renaissance afterward. From film production to ambassadorial roles, she reinvented herself with sophistication and strategy.

May Yul-Edochie

May’s transformation from quiet wife of Yul to a woman of influence captured national attention. Following the highly publicized crisis in her marriage, she gained endorsements, became a symbol of dignity under pressure, and built a strong social media community around her message of grace and self-respect.

Annie Idibia (now Macaulay)

Annie’s quiet but symbolic return to her maiden name after years of marriage turbulence sparked renewed public interest. While not formally divorced, her recent rebranding effort has led to increased visibility, a redefined identity, and a wave of public support for her personal evolution.

But we must ask ourselves.What are we building when pain becomes profit and heartbreak becomes hustle?

In marketing, nothing sells like a good story. And nothing tells a better story than a woman who lost it all and found herself. The comeback arc is powerful. But when it becomes expected, orchestrated, and rewarded at the cost of meaningful relationships, we should be concerned. Empowerment should never require the collapse of the home.

This is bigger than branding. It’s a slow cultural shift that needs reflection. Are we glorifying freedom, or glorifying fragmentation? Are we celebrating growth, or incentivizing collapse? Are we telling our girls that they matter only when they suffer first?

Nigerian brands must be mire intentional. And as consumers, we must demand better. Let’s celebrate strong women   married, single, divorced, or widowed   not because they fit a viral narrative, but because they are valuable in every form.

Because if marriage now means invisibility, and divorce becomes the new red carpet, we’re not evolving. We’re eroding.

When brands commodify breakups, they don’t just distort womanhood. They reshape what society desires, applauds, and emulates. And if we’re not careful, we’ll raise a generation that pursues pain just to be profitable.

So here’s a thing. Let’s start celebrating the whole woman. Married or single. Quietly thriving or loudly healing. Not because her story is marketable, but because her value has never depended on our clicks.