Should a single aspect of our appearance, define who we are as a person? India Arie passionately disagrees, as is expressed in her hit song “I Am Not My Hair.” The idea of ethnic profiling has been played out through generations, however, by the last decades or so, it has been key to shaping the morale and the mentality of young adults who become consumed with insecurities and stereotypical paradigms. Her laudable critique of this needless trend has expanded beyond the boundaries of a hit song, it has motivated and inspired a wide range of audiences, because not only does it state a known issue, it also explains the flaws within it, and even goes on to give examples of real people, such as Melissa Etheridge, a rock centered singer and songwriter
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Arie is trying to establish credibility by stating that she, too, has been through times where her hair has caused her problems, she explains that these experiences have shaped the way she views the role hair plays in identifying who she is. Though hair is important to most, as it is the first thing to catch the eye of any observer, it is not something that should be glorified and Arie refers to the altering of it as something superficial and needless, because all that truly matters is who you are as a person. Someone who does not possess neat or, by society’s definition, pretty hair does not lack character or intelligence, or the means and willingness to compose themselves. To India, it seems that all hair is beautiful, because it really does not matter; she conveys the idea that being obsessed over the condition of one’s hair is absurd, and antiquated. She is part of a new generation, one that she hopes will deter from the old fashioned belief that hair defines nature and beauty, and the idea that a change of that particular aspect is necessary for happiness and success. She expresses this idea in the verse, “Good hair means curls and waves, bad hair means you look like a slave. At the turn of the century, it's time for us to redefine who we be” In that verse, intertwined with the idea of self-assertion, is
Arie is trying to establish credibility by stating that she, too, has been through times where her hair has caused her problems, she explains that these experiences have shaped the way she views the role hair plays in identifying who she is. Though hair is important to most, as it is the first thing to catch the eye of any observer, it is not something that should be glorified and Arie refers to the altering of it as something superficial and needless, because all that truly matters is who you are as a person. Someone who does not possess neat or, by society’s definition, pretty hair does not lack character or intelligence, or the means and willingness to compose themselves. To India, it seems that all hair is beautiful, because it really does not matter; she conveys the idea that being obsessed over the condition of one’s hair is absurd, and antiquated. She is part of a new generation, one that she hopes will deter from the old fashioned belief that hair defines nature and beauty, and the idea that a change of that particular aspect is necessary for happiness and success. She expresses this idea in the verse, “Good hair means curls and waves, bad hair means you look like a slave. At the turn of the century, it's time for us to redefine who we be” In that verse, intertwined with the idea of self-assertion, is