Genesis Begins Again

Hair is a recurring symbol throughout the novel that reflects the cultural standards of beauty that Genesis longs to achieve. Genesis has internalized that to be light skinned with “good” hair, like her mother’s, is the pinnacle of beauty. When she looks in the mirror, she hears the cruel voices of her father and her bullies mocking her for “that nappy head,” a cruel and culturally insensitive comment about her curly, naturally textured hair (10). Her grandma calls a woman’s hair her “crowning glory,” but Genesis doesn’t believe there is anything beautiful or glorious about her hair because it is nothing like Mama’s, and Grandma has never once said anything nice about it. Genesis says, “Where I’m from, if your hair’s not straight, bobbed, pixied, or even braided, then you can forget it” (54).

Genesis uses others’ hairstyles, especially other girls of color, as a way to form an opinion of them, which is likely an impulse derived from the comments her past bullies have made about her hair. When she first meets Nia, for instance, she says that “it’s a waste to be a Lite-Brite with a nappy hairstyle like dreadlocks” (55). She uses the term “Lite-Brite” because Nia is light-skinned. In Genesis’s head, part of what makes being light-skinned so appealing is having “good” hair, so it seems like a waste to her for Nia to choose to have dreadlocks when she is “lucky” enough to have light skin.

Genesis’s relationship with her hair throughout the novel is a direct reflection of the colorism she has internalized from her father, grandma, and her peers. She tries desperately to change it, just like she tries to change her skin. When Yvette puts a relaxer in her hair before the talent show, Genesis is thrilled that her hair sticks to the sides of her face “just like white people’s hair” (306). Genesis’s hatred of her hair symbolizes generations of racism within the Black community that dictate cultural standards of beauty.

Music is a recurring symbol in the novel that acts as a point of connection for Genesis and her identity. In the beginning of the novel, music symbolizes her identity as a daughter longing to form a loving bond with her father. The only time that Genesis’s dad shows true affection with her, or “something real […] hidden somewhere deep under all the layers, the drunkenness” is when they sing together (196). When Genesis sings alone in her room and imagines herself performing to an adoring crowd, she always pictures her dad cheering for her and joining her onstage.

When Genesis performs at the talent show at the end of the novel, it is the first time she doesn’t sing for her dad. She invites him and hopes that he will come, but when the time actually comes and she is on stage, she sings “for every girl who feels like…feels like me” (347). Music is no longer an outlet to gain her father’s affection or gain the approval of adoring fans in an imaginary crowd. Music is an outlet for her to express her true emotions—her grief, sorrow, joy—but for herself, not for others. It symbolizes the beginning of Genesis’s journey toward accepting herself and owning her identity, rather than seeking the acceptance of her dad or anyone else who makes her feel ashamed of who she is.