Within the Malcolm X’s excerpt from “My First Conk,” he described the pressing issue that showed that African Americans were trying to strive for a standard of beauty that is unobtainable by natural means. He expresses his view on the standard of beauty by describing that in order to obtain this standard, it is the gateway to “self-degradation.”
Malcolm X first explains this path by saying that he regrets his decision on getting a conk. This style of hair is a way of stating that he became white washed and followed a trend that he never should have followed. Malcolm X clearly states that this type of behavior showed how black men had lost themselves to this trend. Whereas, women would use wigs instead of using the harmful conking procedure.
