How one identifies themselves is influenced by the environment that they are placed in. This is discussed within Americanah by comparing the changes in Ifemelu and how she sees herself as a Nigerian in America. The discussions are centred around race, identity and hair, each being the reasons of her change while living an immigrate life in America.
The issue of race in Nigeria is not about being black but rather the fact that those of lighter skin tones and mixed-race praised causing others to envy them. People had “avoided the sun and used creams” to ensure that they became lighter. Others were “already naturally light, became lighter, brighter, and took on a sheen.” However, this idea was not shared by Obinze when speaking of Nkosi’s joy …show more content…
This includes the locations of hair salons and the fact that they would not be found in “white areas” of a city. Ifemelu stated that “it was impossible to expect a braiding salon in Princeton” meaning that they were only found in the more dilapidated parts of the city. The misconception that is that natural hair is difficult to maintain. This was raised when the hairdresser had questioned why Ifemelu does not chemically straight her hair. When, in fact, straightened hair requires higher maintenance and is more expensive to maintain than natural hair. This is seen when Ifemelu expressed her surprise of how expensive it was for Aunty Uju to maintain her hair. The common stereotype is that black hairstyles are unprofessional. “If you have braids, they will think you are unprofessional.” This causes a conflict when Ifemelu must be able to retain onto her Nigerian identity but is being affected by the “American …show more content…
Or as Aunty Uju said, “You are in a country that is not your own. You do what you have to do if you want to succeed.” America was a place of “affluent ease” where one “could pretend to be someone else.” The changes described by a fellow immigrant of Ifemelu’s said, “You will start to adopt an American accent. You will start to admire Africans who have perfect American accents.” This being proven when Ifemelu had spoken to Obinze and noticed that “new words were falling out her mouth” like “columns of mist were dispersing.” This mist being her Nigerian identity.
Americanah emphasises on how easy it is for an immigrant to forget who they are. The “rules” of the different societies challenging the ways in which one is able to tell who they are and their culture. However, both America and Nigeria had some similarities. The concept of being African and learning under an African based education system somehow disadvantaged a person and the conception of being a lighter skin tone was a positive thing and a dream to aspire
The issue of race in Nigeria is not about being black but rather the fact that those of lighter skin tones and mixed-race praised causing others to envy them. People had “avoided the sun and used creams” to ensure that they became lighter. Others were “already naturally light, became lighter, brighter, and took on a sheen.” However, this idea was not shared by Obinze when speaking of Nkosi’s joy …show more content…
This includes the locations of hair salons and the fact that they would not be found in “white areas” of a city. Ifemelu stated that “it was impossible to expect a braiding salon in Princeton” meaning that they were only found in the more dilapidated parts of the city. The misconception that is that natural hair is difficult to maintain. This was raised when the hairdresser had questioned why Ifemelu does not chemically straight her hair. When, in fact, straightened hair requires higher maintenance and is more expensive to maintain than natural hair. This is seen when Ifemelu expressed her surprise of how expensive it was for Aunty Uju to maintain her hair. The common stereotype is that black hairstyles are unprofessional. “If you have braids, they will think you are unprofessional.” This causes a conflict when Ifemelu must be able to retain onto her Nigerian identity but is being affected by the “American …show more content…
Or as Aunty Uju said, “You are in a country that is not your own. You do what you have to do if you want to succeed.” America was a place of “affluent ease” where one “could pretend to be someone else.” The changes described by a fellow immigrant of Ifemelu’s said, “You will start to adopt an American accent. You will start to admire Africans who have perfect American accents.” This being proven when Ifemelu had spoken to Obinze and noticed that “new words were falling out her mouth” like “columns of mist were dispersing.” This mist being her Nigerian identity.
Americanah emphasises on how easy it is for an immigrant to forget who they are. The “rules” of the different societies challenging the ways in which one is able to tell who they are and their culture. However, both America and Nigeria had some similarities. The concept of being African and learning under an African based education system somehow disadvantaged a person and the conception of being a lighter skin tone was a positive thing and a dream to aspire