A Hairdresser's Experience in High Life

A Hairdresser’s Experience in High Life

After reading A Hairdresser’s Experience in High Life which is a book on an African American lady that works in numerous jobs allowing her to travel but ultimately she ends up being a hairdresser allowing her access to some interesting gossip. This book shows the reader how race, class, and gender can shape your day to day experiences.
From the beginning of the book the reader gets a feeling that the author does not see herself as the African American woman, working for upper class families; which is actually the situation she is in. For the most part the author gives you the impression that she belongs with these people and that she mingles with higher class people even when she is not working and is on a break to travel. There are a couple areas in the book that gives you a look that occasionally she does have an inner struggle. For example, when she was about to sit and eat with the higher cartel of people she worried about her use of language compared to theirs. There were only a couple of instances where you got a slight glimpse of these inner struggles while the most observed behavior she possessed was that she believed she was as good as they were or better.

The author being an African American affects her life and the events that took place. During this time period African Americans were hired helped for the wealthy to help them in their daily tasks. The author goes on to tell about her many experiences as a hairdresser and about the many things she hears over the years. The author probably would not have heard all these stories if she would have not been a female and a African American because she would not have had access to all these women’s stories. Also, there is a matter of trust because the higher class women more than likely viewed the “hairdresser” as an inferior woman who had the obligation to be loyal to them. A person could also question did the classy women even go as far as to pretend that she was not even actually there. I believe the author was also trying to show that she was better than the wealthy people because of the gossip she knew and that their lives were not perfect.

In conclusion, this shows that there are conflicts in society about race, class, and gender. Each one of these could affect people differently depending on which group you were or are associated with. The author’s story may not have been the same if her race, gender, or class had been different. Although, these are totally different areas most of the time they are linked together to form opinions about whom you are. Gender, class, and race are a major part of a person’s life and the experiences they have.