In “I want to be miss America,” why did the sisters iron their hair?
-to experiment with ethnic styles
-to adopt Native American ways
-to follow American fashion trends
-to preserve Puerto Rican tradition
1 answer
None of the above options accurately explains why the sisters iron their hair in the poem "I Want to Be Miss America." The poem suggests that the sisters iron their hair to conform to mainstream American beauty standards and fit into their new American home. As the speaker notes, they want to "look like the girl / on the front of the chocolate box" and be "pretty for a picture." The act of ironing their hair contrasts with their Puerto Rican heritage and suggests a desire to assimilate into American culture.