In Chapter 31, Ifemelu cheats on Curt because she is overwhelmed by the pressure of being in an interracial relationship. After weeks of asking him to take her back, she finally accepts reality. Years later at a party, she talks with another woman about her interracial relationship and says that race was never an issue, which Ifemelu finds difficult to believe. She thought about her relationship with Curt and how there were certain disparities he clearly could not see, as he was living with the “colorblind” mindset. Her friend, Wambui, suggests to start a blog, and she considers and creates it a few weeks after she breaks up with Curt. The chapter ends with a blog post about how a black woman’s hair is a metaphor for America. She says she is a groupie for Michelle Obama and would like to see once how she or Beyonce would look with their natural hair.
In the book, that portion of the chapter reads, “Imagine if Michelle Obama got tired of all the heat and decided to go natural and appeared on TV with lots of woolly hair, or tight spirally curls…She would totally rock but poor Obama would certainly lose the independent vote, even the undecided Democrat vote.” (Adichie 368).
My question is why do you think society associates something natural for black people with inadequacy?
Sources
“Chapter 31.” Americanah, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Anchor Books, A Division of Random House LLC, New York, 2013, pp. 368.
Society see’s this unnatural beauty us unprofessional and unlike them. People like when others are like them and not something odd standing out. Tight, unruly curls just do not fit in with the often straight women’s hair. Unfortunately that is a real part of racism and while it may have been getting better still magazines and blogs seem to still focus on hair styles and hair tips for white women and not as much for black women. I also realized that some of the refugees or immigrants who have moved to America can begin to adapt this practice. An example is a little earlier in the book when Aunty Uju meets Curt and is talking to Ifemelu. “‘He really likes you,’ Aunty Uju said, and then, face wrinkling, she added, ‘ And even with your hair like that'” (Adichie 268-269). Aunty Uju is here hinting to Ifemelu’s afro as well saying she is shocked a white man likes her even with her natural African hair.
In Chapter 34, it is also brought up that Ifemelu is fine allowing an older white lady to touch her hair. Blaine thinks it is wrong. How do you think this relates to the racism about African hair in general and why it was so important for Ifemelu to feel one way and Blaine the other?
Citation: Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi. Americanah. Anchor Books, 2014.