As I read the story, and specifically when the hair products were mentioned, I felt like I was reading an advertisement for hair products. I found it very interesting how the narrator utilized proper nouns and similes of advertisements to build the picture of the beauty standards that are enforced on the black and curly-haired people of Puerto Rico. Imagery is utilized on page 2 to introduce the concept, where the women are described to walk down from the bird and have perfect hair that the wind plays with. This is an image I think most people, or women, know well. The shiny long and perfectly brushed hair being carried around in the wind is an image we know too well from TV adverts. The advertising then continues on page 5 where the specific name of the brand is mentioned “Clairol Gel Colors Purple Blue Black without peroxide or ammonia”, “Easystyle Products Hair Relaxer Without Lye” as well as “Swedish Biolage products, they aren’t cruel to animals or the environment” on page 7.
The use of proper nouns and the complete names of the products makes it feel like the narrator and the people in this society have it ingrained into their brains. The advertisement and need to reach those standards have become so important to them that they repeat them word for word, as well as the ingredients they include and the benefits of choosing these brands. These proper nouns stood out in the paragraphs because they broke the flow of the narration, but at the same time, they demonstrated the symbol that Miss Kety is for beauty standards in this community. The products are mentioned with such authority, it’s almost inevitable for the people to want to buy them.
Hi Ashley, I agree that the presence of these brands and the specific call out to them is intentional and impactful in the story. I think this critiques the values that are imposed on people by the capitalist structures that enforce beauty standards. The advertisements offer an unattainable standard of beauty that encourage the perpetual purchase and use of products that claim to provide perfection. We see the desire to attain this standard in the advance of the products, from the straight comb to the newer straightener, and with the use of new products each claiming to provide better results than the last.
Hi Ashley, this is a great analysis of how proper nouns, namely brand names of hair products, are deeply integrated in society that even mentioning them reads line an ad. This really speaks to the psychological impact of capitalism and its success being the dominant economic system in Puerto Rico since colonialism. Advertisement is essentially a form of persuasion for people to buy products so that companies can make profit. In this case, the companies prey on woc’s insecurities who feel outcast to white beauty standards, despite them being virtually impossible to achieve. However, because these advertisements are so persuasive, women can’t help but to spend money in an attempt to meet these standards because they feel like their natural beauty isn’t valued.
Hi Ashley, I am really happy you picked up on the prevalent advertising themes in the text. I personally had missed it. I find it ads (just a pun, not a spelling mistake) a new level of thought to the writing. The story is written in such a way that it seems to succinctly pinpoint how the beauty industry brainwashes many people to believe they need to fundamentally change something about the way they look. I also think that there was an additional level of education, aside from the critiques on internalized racism, to the in this text for young girls so that they would properly take care of their roots