At the beginning of Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, the symbol of hair was introduced in the setting of a hair salon in Trenton. In fact, most of the setting was the hair salon as it played a flashback role. Naturally in a salon setting, hair would be a reoccurring symbol but Chimamanda manages to use hair as a representation of multiple things. One of the first things hair represents in Americanah was identity. Hair represents Ifemelu’s identity and her struggles with identity. When she moved to America she was told by her Aunty Uju that she had to lose her braids. “I have to take my braids out for my interviews and relax my hair. Kemi told me that I shouldn’t wear braids to the interview. If you have braids, they will think you are unprofessional.” (Adiche146) Having her hair braided represented Ifemelu’s confidence as a smart black American and it represented her identity as a Nigerian. Changing her hair meant changing her independence and reduced her confidence. Changing her hair to make her look more professional meant that she was conforming to American standards rather than staying true to her own. Changing her chair and getting rid of the braids reminded her of when her mother came home and abruptly cut off some of her own braids. Her mother did it for the sake of religion and Ifemelu interpreted the act as her mother also giving up her own independence. But also for Ifemelu, changing her hair highlighted the racism associated with American ideas of beauty. A black women was expected to straighten her hair to look professional and this also represented changing ones identity.