I. Intro
Nail Technicians at the Pure Organic Nail Salon are part of a labor force of 126,300 to 212,519 nail salon workers in the U.S. According to the UCLA Labor Center these numbers are probably an undercount. The industry has grown from serving only high class customers and now serves the middle class. This shift in the socio economic demographic of customers has caused the demand for nail salons to move upwards. Many Vietnamese immigrants are moving to the U.S. to do nails; the majority of nail technicians in the Pure Organic Nail Salon came to America to solely make money doing nails.
II. The Immigrant Experience Unveiled
Anjelah Johnson nail salon bit. (Ekahala, 2016).
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After working alongside the manicurists in Pure Organic Nail Salon, I’ve realized that the lives of these immigrants are far more complex than the stereotypes that Americans label them with. In 2007, Anjelah Johnson created a stand-up routine comprised of her experiences communicating with Vietnamese Nail technicians. The routine was funny and attention-grabbing, yet helped to perpetuate a shallow perspective of Vietnamese manicurists. Johnson’s depictions of the nail salon experience are accurate to customers paying one hour visits. My depictions of my seven-hour-long days spent alongside the Pure Organic Nail Salon manicurists will shatter stereotypes and unveil the Vietnamese American Immigrant experience.
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