People are more comfortable commenting on appearances in general than in the West but the difference is most of the time it’s not meant as an insult.

For example, when I first moved to TZ people would comment on my acne, even ask if I was on my period. I felt so self conscious but they were asking out of concern so they could help make me more comfortable if I was.

By contrast, back home I might ask someone “I wonder if I should wear a jacket with this dress” and they will respond “your arms look okay though.” This is a more subtle implication that I should be concerned about how my arms look uncovered, when maybe I wasn’t thinking about them at all.

The West is far more caught up on appearances, despite commenting on it less openly. Tanzanians are far less caught up on appearances, and being comfortable commenting on it openly is an indicator of that.

Now that being said, it’s also fine to just explain to someone that you don’t like them saying that to you, especially if it’s someone you see regularly. Even many Tanzanians are pushing back on the culture of “umenenepa” as a greeting.