Ok, am going to get the pleasantries out of the way.
I think it's great that an ad actually featured a woman of her age.(not Meant in an offensive way but different to usual focus on younger models. it's refreshing seeing someone different with a different skin tone too). Not only that, she is neither Beyoncé nor Thandie newton or made to made look more European, which is great. (Yes and Lupita did an makeup ad too, how lucky are we, joke intended for anyone who would have pointed that out). I think she is great writing and refreshing to have an African woman whose is younger with appreciated and respected voice by the public.
Down to the nitty gritty and dissecting her in relation to that ad.
Personally am on edge when it comes to advocating use of makeup for women's everyday use as a sign of what it is to be feminine. Am also, conflicted by the fact that wearing makeup is seen as diminishing factor to an accomplished woman in the western world or differently in some places Africa. (What she didn't mention about African women in Africa is that wearing make is sign of wealth. That's is why she said the more accomplished a woman the more likely they are to wear makeup. The difference between a village woman and wealthy one. ) the makeups fundamental use is for beautifying the woman.
The bottom line is, if we look at the animal and bird kingdom, some of the animals, some of the sex grooms more than the other. They tend to display colours, vibrancy in their demeanour and look healthier. The women in our gender seems to have taken makeup as a form of grooming to attract a mate.
(The ads in our media tends to focus on women who are at the prime of their youth and childbirth years. While men's grooming is focused on older men and seen as a necessity that adds to their status and importance as human beings.)
It's not from the beginning of humanity but cultures have come up with ways that portrays this. It's not just makeup but it can include; piercings, scarring the skin with designs, hairstyles, cloths, shoes, bags etc. We can all claim that these things offer us a sense of identity and when we don't dress the way we want it offers a false one to people. High heels used to be won by men. Sometime in our history it became part of what it means to be a sex symbol for women to elongate their feet and legs. To allow women to stand tall with confidence in their famine sexuality, a way that they can be viewed by ogled at .
To Adichie, what is this sense of identity she gets from wearing makeup? When we feel confident, it's always because we feel or a sense that we have met a standard which is required or that we are capable of meeting that standard. Self doubt is for those who are not as confident and lack self belief. To have a belief that she gets more confidence from maker negates her point of saying she is happy with the way she looks at her self when the maker is off. I say this because she did make that emphasis for the sense of self and who she really is. When we see her without makeup, we are not really looking at the real her but a lesser version of her self. Isn't she contracting her self or is she trying to make her self believe what she saying as true.
Wearing make up is acquired. We are not born warring makeup but it's something her mother instilled in her from a very young age. She does describe her mother's insistence on looks and how she should portray herself as a woman to the world. When she become a feminist or decide to not follow what society said makeup meant, she ditched it and decided to be free from this constrain that is makeup. The resistance and freedom she thought would come from not wearing makeup was stifling her ability of expression. It's part of being feminine but it's one that she accepts expresses her self more than when she is a free woman from the face of sexism. ( my word not hers)
To add to this, what sense of self is she trying to portray? I would say that it lies with the comment she got from the man at an airport in Lagos. She might be a feminist but I think she let a man and societal value and judgement affect her way of thinking. She might disagree with me or not but that is what I think and this is why.
First of all, she accepts that the mans statement is true and this did make her look at herself differently. She wants to come a cross as older (her words) and not a young girl. What I deduced from that conversation and the actions afterwards is that old age or being older is associated with wiseness and respect in most part of Africa (which is true). Adichie and the man both say that makeup portrays maturity and this separates you from what would be considered inexperienced and unwise. As a writer she wants to be listened to and respected (one of her recent comments is regarding the sort of respect writers like her have compared to other types of celebrities and what they have done. She thinks they people like her deserve more respect and appreciation than what they are getting now).
While in the western world makeup is associated with youth, beauty and good health and not being wise, educated and accomplished in areas that is appreciated by society.
The conclusion is that she is a woman who is not as confident as she thinks she is but a woman trying to meet societal standard Inevitably. It would not surprise me if this conversation was part of why she wrote Americana.