In cultures across the world, girls become women once they have their first menstruation. Womanhood is considered a coming of age for girls, because they gain new responsibilities such as giving birth. For the youngest sister Indigo, she had trouble adjusting to her new “magic” because she had so much “South in her” (2). Indigo’s mom repeated that phrase “south in her” to emphasize how invested Indigo was in her society. This investment was seen through her love for black dolls and defying gender norms. Indigo’s playing with dolls symbolize her being a kid and her love to be around black people. Her family and members of the community would say “you too big to be talking to dolls” and this idea is associated with age and expectations.
The youth she still has in her, despite the expectations of her being considered a woman now. I believe she does this although she did become a woman she did not come of age. Indigo still wants to remain a kid, but society is forcing her into a world where she is not ready to except. She is not ready to agree that women “just bake bread” and “tend after the beauty in the world” (Shange 20). These disagreements only emphasize how Indigo will continue to break the stereotype of an “average woman” because she her youth is what makes her not fall into the trap of thinking once she becomes a woman, her life does too.
Black Matter 