On page 7 of “Broken Strands” by Mayra Santos-Febres, Miss Kety makes the statement that “Sometimes you have to remake yourself because the first time you came out badly.” What does this phrase mean? It means that one has to be willing to take the necessary steps to remake oneself to get their desired image and rise from the less-than-ideal life one has been given.
Despite having a broken nose, Miss Kety is seen by many in her neighbourhood (including Yetsaida) as a goddess, but how did she get there? On page 2, it is mentioned that Miss Kety does her own hair and straightens it with fine products from a discount store.
She is similar to Yetsaida and many other girls in the neighbourhood. Miss Kety and Yetsaida are both black females with a broken nose that they received from an abusive man. Yetsaida had to wait until the age of 13 and endure the constant abuse, brought about by her curly hair and internalized racism, from her father to finally change her hair. Attaining the desired image is not the only thing one must do. To maintain the desired image, one must continue to work hard by taking good care of their hair and skin.
Greetings Vanessa, you make a great point with doing the best with the cards someone is dealt; however, sometimes this is something that is misrepresented in popular culture today. Sometimes, even if someone is doing the best with their less than ideal life, it still does not change the fact that it is a below average starting point. Your starting point influences the choices you make and, more importantly, the things that you learn. Therefore, although there are exceptions, it is a terrible assumption that one person got to the place they are just because of their skill and perseverance — life simply does not work that way.