“She abandons herself to the pulling sensation, to the delicious feeling of fingers that don’t want to break anything of hers, that want to leave her hair beautiful and radiant for the west wind to play with and make her a woman.” (Santos-Febres, 6).

This passage from Mayra Santos-Febres short story “Broken Strands” evokes several of the major themes within the story. I was struck by the image of “fingers that don’t want to break anything of hers” (6) which allude to the epidemic of broken noses of women in Trastalleres. This depiction of pain (“pulling sensation” (6)) seems to be a pleasurable pain, because the outcome allows Yetsaida to conform and uphold idealized White and western standards of beauty she so desperately craves. This is illustrated by the “west wind” (6) that will play with [her hair] and make her a woman” (6). Ironically, continued use of heat treatments like straightening often cause permanent damage, or breakage, to hair, leading the hair’s owner to eventually have to cut it short, and begin growing it out again. The beautiful, straight hair she craves is actually the broken hair, and her natural hair is the unblemished, perfect one. This is confirmed to the reader on page 5, with Miss Kety saying “Oh, these roots, girl. Your hair’s gonna break right off. Look at all these broken strands.” The broken noses are evidence of physical abuse against the women, just as the broken hair a sign of abuse, too. However, beyond the physical damage to each strand of hair, the broken strands signify the internalized racism and struggle to conform to western beauty standards that the women of Puerto Rico experience. This dichotomy of physical pain versus emotional pain is visible on the faces and heads of each woman who has experienced abuse.