Conformity In Americanah By Chimamande Ngozi Adichie

Does whiteness exist in America? That is the question that many people try to answer. Some people believe that it does not exist while other people believe minorities are conforming themselves to what appears to be the standard look in America which is “white.” There have been many books and articles in which the author is explaining why they believe minorities are changing themselves to look more like white people. One author in particular who best exemplifies her beliefs on conformity is, Chimamande Ngozi Adichie author of the novel Americanah. In her novel she writes about how White Anglo-Saxon Protestants, or WASP for short, has all the power in the world and minorities are trying to conform themselves so they can be higher up on the racial …show more content…
Dreads, Afros, and braids are all common examples of hairstyles in the black community, but because they are not what we see white people with having they have been deemed unprofessional. Growing up and going to a predominately black school, I would always see people with braids or Afros, however I would not see people with dreads. Dreads were not allowed at my school because they were deemed unprofessional. I have experienced social conformity since I was very young and did not know it at the time. White people ran my school and they did not allow dreads because it was not a white standard. White beauty is promoted everywhere you go whether it is on television commercials, advertisements you see online, or even billboards. “White beauty standards are promoted as ideal” (Week 15: Identity and Aesthetics). White beauty standards are also promoted through movies, radio, and magazines. “Movies, television, and magazines are huge societal influence on what is considered beautiful or ideal” (Beautiful: The Documentary (Full length movie)) White beauty standards have carried over from colonial times. During slavery people were separated based on their skin complexion. If a person was darker then a brown paper bag they were considered dark-skinned and had to work out on the field. Anyone else was considered light-skinned and worked in the house. The lighter you …show more content…
This topic has occurred throughout the book a plethora of times. There is a scene in the book when Ifemulu’s aunt and her friend tells her to straighten and relax her hair because it will give her a better opportunity to get a job after college. (Adichie 250) This idea relates to the theme of how blacks do not meet the standards and thus should conform themselves. Ifemulu ends up straightening her hair and then comes to realization that she does not like her hair straightened. This is shown on page 251 when she says that she is “mournful” and that she feels like “something died” (Adichie 251). Conforming one’s self can make a person feel like they have lost something within them. This is a similar feeling that the women in the documentary “Beautiful.” One of the women in the documentary explained how when she cut her hair she felt as though she cut some of her soul away. Ifemulu then conforms almost completely when she gets her eyebrows waxed for a wedding. Throughout the novel, Ifemulu is conflicted with herself. She does not understand why white beauty standards are ideal but she slowly conforms herself to fit into what is seen as the normal in society. In a blog she wrote titled, A Michelle Obama Shout-Put plus hair and race as a metaphor” she says, “because you see it is not professional, sophisticated, whatever its just normal.” She then asks the questions why is not normal