Text A Life with Daughters Watching the Miss America Pageant（第1页）

TextALifewithDaughters:WatgtheMissAmerit

GeraldEarly

Pre-reading

GeraldEarly（1952-　）isMerleKlingProfessorofModerers，PrlishandofAfridAfro-AmeriStudies，Directoroftheanities，aheAmeriAcademyofArtsandSces。HeisanAmeriessayistandAmericulturecritic。Hisresearterestsierature，Afri-Americulture（1940-1960），Afro-Ameriautobiography，non-fiprose，etc。Hisfather，abaker，diedwhenEarlywashsold，leavinghismother，apreschoolteacher，toraisehimandhistwosistersonherown。Livinginapoorareaofthecity，EarlygrewupbefriendiheFifthareetgangs，thoughheneverbecameamemberhimself。

GeraldEarlyisoshyawayfromtrthepowerofthepeAmeridissuesofrace。AfterthefatalpoliichaelBrown，aeenager，inAugust2014i。Lusoeanessayfazihecity’sracialdivisionsandcludedthatthere“remainsinSt。LouisaseAfri-Amerisarestrangersinastrangeland”。

Promptsf

1。Whatistherealreasohhters’iiests?

2。Whatisthewhite-culturestereotypeofablaanlike?

3。Whatdoestheauthormeanby“royalty”inParagraph2?

4。Howhasbeautytestretyears?

5。WhatistheattitudeofGeraldEarly’sdaughtersto>

6。WhatwasLiudeaboutherhairstyleandhero>

7。Haveyoueverexperienjunofoppressioionisticdesire:self-ess”?Describeit。

8。Howdidthemotherrespondtotheproblemsinschoolcausedbythegirls’hairstyle?

9。Whyisthemainsttheideaofhavingthegirl’searspierced?

10。Howdidtheauthorihisdaughter’sreply“maybe”inParagraphs7to8?

11。Goffmaisblaeheyaremothers，whoperpetuatetheirsenseofiybypassingitontotheir。Whatdoesitmean?Whatisyourattitudetowardsthisstatement?

[1]Mydaughters，Lien，andRosalind，ageseveaunsofbeautytestsihreeyears。Inthattimetheyhavewattheirey，severalMissAmerits，oneMissBlackAmeritest，andoneMissUSA。Atfirst，Iascribedthistothesameimpulsethatmademywifeiediswhele:somethilyfemale，justasainprofessihtbeasethingpeculiarlymale。Probablyitisasortofreseblackgirlsharbortowardthesetests。Butthatotreallybethecasewithmydaughters。Afterall，theyhaveseenseveralblatsisandhaveevenseenblaers。Theyalsohaveblackdolls。

[2]Bathefallof1983whenVanessaWilliams1becameMissAmerica，we，asafamily，hadourpicturetakenwithherwheedSt。Louis。ifeandI，trawhenopularculturedebraceblaeherthansexualsubversivesorfat，kindlymaidsgupandgforwhitefamilies。Wehadourown，well，royalty，andrinsmeaopeoplewhohavebeeheirmythsatohumanblood。WhitewomenreformersmaybereadytoscraptheMissAmeritest。（Ahaslyrespohecriticismithasbeeoiyearsbymutihefleshieraspectsramwhile，iobeevey-riddenmiddle-classdream-wish，emphasizingmoreahemagicofedudscholarlyattaiisthatsigforprofessionalismameoiswomeatoftheprofessioowihingiion。ButifthereisamovementafdowainfinallyonMissAmerica，myartofit:“anttoreformahingslestartgettirainthey’vebeenenjoyiharmdoestheMissAmeritestdo?”None，Isuppose，especeblaenhavebeen>

[3]LiandRosaliooyouVanessaWilliamstoreythingaboutthepictures，buttheyareamazedtoseethemselvesinabright，colorPolaroidpictureersoofawhiotstrikeatheiressbecausetheyberbeihappeeheyattaysighepicturesatall。TheythinkVanessaisverypretty，prettierthaher，buttheyattaifigpretty—thatistosay，norealvalue;theywouldnotadmiresomeonesimplybecauseheorshewasgood-lookihinkWilliamsisbeautiful，buttheydonotwishthatshewastheirmother。Andthisissueofbeiifulisakenlightlyinthelifeofablackgirl。AbouttwoLiedschoolwishingaloudthatherhairwaslongandblondsothatshegitabout，thewayshesawmaeclassmatesdoiendsaschoolthatismorethae，itseemediomywifethathterswouldbeeseherappearahistimeLi’shairwasnhtenedainbraids。Oddly，despitethefactthatshewantedadifferenthairstylethatwouldpermitherhairto“blowinthewind”，sotospeak，shevehementlyopposedhavingitstraightehoughmywifehasstraightenedhair，afterhavingwornanAfro3forseveralyears。IamnotsurewhyLiwaraightened;perhaps，afterseeieenagehaveherhairstraightenedonseveralos，theprocesshteeful。Actually，Idonotthiedtogeherhairtobebeautiful;shewaobelikeeveryoperhapsthisissimplywishfulthinkingherewithwordsbeetmusthavefeltherdifferengakindofuglisheisnotagirlwhoissubjecttoillusioayearearlier，whenshehadhadaparticularlyroughdayinschool，Itoldher，ironizingwaywithadaughter，thatIthoughtshewasthemostbeautifulgirlintheworld。ShelookedatmestrangelywhenIsaidthatater-of-factly:“Idon’tthiifulatall。IthinkI’mjustordihingwrongwiththat，isthere，Daddy?Justtobeordinary?”“Areyouunhappytobeordinary?”Iasked。Shethoughtforamoment，thensaidquietlyandfinally，“No。Areyou?”

[4]Hairstraightening，therefore，tionandwouldnothavebeenevehadwa，becausemyosedtohavi’shairstraightefirst，Libegangoingtoschoolwithherhairuuhisturobeadisastroushairdo，asherhairshrankduringthecourseofadaytoatangledmess。Finally，mywifedecidedtohavebothLiandRosaliAfrohaircuts。Ostensibly，thisroblemoftakingswimlessthesummer。Iwastoe’swishesforawhitehairstyleby，i，fanypossibilitythatsheotelycapturesuchalook。Rosalind’shairwascutsothatLiwouldshewasbei。（Alas，thetrialsofbeingboththesedtheyoungerchild!）Atfirst，thehaircutsyproblemsinseofthe—bothbladwhite—madefunofthem。Brilloheads，theyweredfungusandAfroheads。OnegroupofblackgirlsatschoolrefusedtoplaywithLi。“Youlooksouglywiththatshorthair，”theywouldsay。“Whydon’tyouwearyhtlikeyourmom。Yourmom’shairissopretty。”Theime，thegirlswereiggersbyawhitetheirschoolbus，althoughIthiheydaughterspletelyuhegravityofthatobsity4。PeopleiswouldrefertothemasboysuheywerewearihgirlswentthroughaperiodwhentheysufferedmostathatparticularAmeridisease，thatparticularlyAfri-Ameridisease，theofoppressioionisticdesire:self-ess。Theythoughtabouttheirhairallthetime。Mywifecalledtheparentsofthewhoteasedthem。Theteasihemostpart，althoughafewoftheblackgirlsremaithatthewhitesselestedthatLisandRosalind’shairbestraightened。“I’mwhite，”hesaid，“andmaybeIshouldhis，buttheymightfeelmorefortableiftheyworeadifferenthairstyle。”Mywifeahatbitofadvice。Shehadthemweardressesmoreoftehemlookunmistakablylikegirls，althoughsherefusedoutofhandmysuggestionofhavingtheirearspierced。Sheiscedthatpiercedearsarejustaformofmutilation，primitivetattpassingitselfoffassomethingfashioually，thegirlsbecameusedtotheirhair。haheyhardlythinkaboutit，andevewearsasweatsuitorjeahinkssheisaboybecausesheisbuddis。PoorRosalindstillsuffersonosupermarketsbecausesheshowsnurity。Oetlookathermother’sverylongaraighthair，thehairthattheirlsatsire，alwaysgitpretty，Iaskedherifshewouldlikethtened。

[5]“Notnow，”shesaid。“Maybewhe’llbesomethi。”

[6]“Doyouthinkyouwilllikeit?”Iasked。

[7]“Maybe。”shesaid。

[8]Andinthat“maybe”，sodevestheplextradis，theuiveionsofthatwhipromisedyeteverberealizedinthisflawedworldasahereis，inthat“maybe”，theepistemologyofraceprideforblackAmeriensoparadoxicallysymbolizedbytheirstraightenedhair。IntheFebruary1939issueofTheAtlantithly5，ablaedKimbalGoffman（possiblyapseudonym）wrotealedBlackPrideinwhichsheaccusedblacksofbeiheirheritageand，evenmlyinsomeofherbarbsobviouslyaimedatblaen，oftheirlooks:。。。whyaresomanymanufacturersbeingrianufactureofbleagpreparations?Whyarehair-straighteningbsfoundinnearlyeveryNegrohome?Whyisthefollowingremarkmadesooftentoanewbornbaby，whengrandmaorausitforthefirsttime?“TellMothershemustpin。Ifshedoesn’t，yonnahaveasure’noughdarkynose。”

[9]AgtoGoffman，blaotexploitwhatsocietyhasgiveheyaresimplyashamedtohavewhattheyhave，taiiswithbeingassociatedwithadegradedpeople，andloeortohavepossessionsthatwouldacdofwhitestatus。Intheessay，blaeralreceivetheirshareofcriticismbutonlyblaeiagender-specificwaythattheiriseofiygphysicalappearanceisaparticularlydangerousformofreaasitstigmatizeseaeratioffman，itisblaeheyaremothers，whoperpetuatetheirsenseofiybypassingitontotheir。InthislargelyDuBoffmanadvises，“inalityisthebaeress。”And，inthissense，inalitymeaandingblaessassomethinguntrolledoruwhitessayitis。Thisistheidealismofracepridethatdemandsbothpurityandparity。

Notes