Jamaican people are like no other nationality under the sun and the women are even more unique. Talk to a Jamaican woman about the first time her life touched yours and she’ll tell you things you had no idea she even noticed. Introduce her to another female and in the time it takes to get acquainted, she will catalogue not only the physical, but mental characteristic of that person. Here are some things we notice that may be out of the ordinary.

1. Your vibe. This is perhaps the first thing a Jamaican woman notices about you. Whether you make eye contact, act like you’re boasy (proud), have a bad attitude or your smile is genuine. That first interaction will help decide whether you will get along or not. If you don’t hit it off, as we say on the island, ‘mi ca’an stand har’ or ‘mi spirit nuh tek har’.
2. Speech Patterns – Our speech tells way more about us than we believe. Even if we’re trying to pass ourselves off as highbrow and we’re not, bad sentence construction and use of local jargon will give us away the moment the introductions are over and we open our mouths.
3. Hair Condition – With the popularity of wigs and hair pieces, many women opt to put some oomph into their hairstyles with extensions. The Jamaican female will take stock of whether your hair is natural, processed, or boosted by inches of human or synthetic hair wigs. Some have a knack of telling, at a glance, what is ‘rooted and grounded’ and what is not.
4. Shoes and handbags – Accessories tell a lot about a woman. Are her shoes clean? Is her handbag the genuine article or a knockoff? Are they in reasonable or sub-standard condition? Watch out, the Jamaican Empress can tell within a few minutes of meeting you whether or not you care about your appearance.
5. Clothing – and how they are worn in another thing a Jamaican woman will notice immediately. If there are too many assets hanging out, it’s usually the sign of an exhibitionist and will mark you as someone not to be encouraged around spouses or significant others.
6. Makeup – Eyelashes and sculpted eyebrows are all the rage and some of us do go overboard with length, shape and thickness. If you’re wearing way more than you were born with, and/or your makeup is excessive, when she meets you, the Jamaican Queen with wonder what’s up with that.
7. Perfume – Scent is a ‘woman thing’ and many of us islanders like perfume—reasonably priced, expensive, and everything in between. Even if introduced to someone for the first time, we’re not bashful about asking for the name of the scent the person is wearing.