Ifemelu's Obsession with Hair

One of the repeating themes of the novel is hair and how it can express different characteristics about people – mostly with women. Ifemelu makes comparisons to race, class and income throughout the novel based on women and their hair. She also notices the fact that women of her race are not often seen as “beautiful” because of their hair. She also makes a great effort to draw this to the reader’s attention. “What if every magazine you opened and every film you watched had beautiful women with hair like jute? You would be admiring my hair now,” (269).

            She notices how, in America, beauty is defined as white, thin, and straight hair. She feels the pressure to have straight, “white girl” hair. Even though she has grown up refusing to use relaxers on her hair, it’s only until she comes to America that she actually uses it. She lets herself be convinced that she needs to relax her hair in order to get a job, and it ends up being hazardous to her health. She ends up getting the job, but at what price? She develops blisters on her head that are painful and burn her.

            I think this event in Ifemelu’s life is almost a parallel to her coming to America. Even though she made a good life for herself and her career, she admits to having succumbed to American culture in different ways. This is most apparent when Ifemelu comes back to Nigeria from America and is talking with her friends. On page 481 when Ifemelu begins complaining about the humidity in Nigeria and how she can’t breathe her friend mocks her, calling her “Americanah.”

            Just like Ifemelu gave in to using relaxers on her hair in order to get a job, she gave in to being swayed by the American culture, even if she didn’t want to. This is just one example of how hair is more than just a topic of conversation in the book. Hair is a theme perpetuated by race, class and feminism, and it’s a theme that Ifemelu is very good at noticing.