Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Why does Janie think she should be the women’s choice?

This question refers to the exhibit titled "The Hairpiece" from George C. Wolfe's ensemble play The Colored Museum. Janine is one of two wig stands in the nameless woman's collection that are arguing over which of them the woman will wear to break up with her no-good boyfriend later that day at lunch. Janine, in a conversation with another wig stand named LaWanda, insists that the woman has already chosen Janine to wear to said lunch.
As the discussion becomes heated, Janine decides to plead directly to the source to prove that she is indeed the wig who will be on the woman's head. This terrifies and confounds the woman, who believes she is having a nervous breakdown after hearing two of her wig stands talk to her. However, this fearful astonishment doesn't last, as the woman eventually engages with the wig stands, saying she actually hadn't decided which wig she was going to put on her bald head for the occasion.
According to Janine, her wig is the best one for the job, because the woman would be letting her boyfriend know "he ain't gonna get no sweet-talkin' comb through on your love without some serious resistance." She means that the 1960s-era Afro wig conveys a sense of strength and grit that LaWanda cannot provide.
Janine argues that "the kink of [her] head is like the kink of [the woman's] heart," suggesting that the tough attitude Janine projects is just what the woman needs in order to maintain a steely resolve when breaking up with her boyfriend.

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