During her childhood on the plantation, there was a black woman named Florence [who] was a mulatto, high yellow[and] she was the envy of all the women on the plantation (Moody 7-8). The desire to have lighter and whiter skin or at least not appear to be the darkest black person in the community stems from the supposed inherent disgrace in having black skin. Moody, even at a young age, notes that there is a distinction in treatment for mulattos by the whites, which creates tensions between darker skin black people and lighter skin people. The discrepancy in treatment fuels prejudices within the black community, ultimately harming their desire and push for truly equal rights. The focus on the problems associated with skin color, just within the black community, illustrates Moodys dissatisfaction with the disunity and issues within the movement for black equality. The Autobiography of Malcolm X highlights the tension in the black community between the desire to be white and the desire to be proud of their skin color. The conk hairstyle, which is the hairstyle that Malcolm has while he is hustling in Boston, is the epitome of self-degradation as a black man, and [he] had joined the multitude of Negro men and women who believe that the black people are inferiorand the white people superior (Malcolm 91). This hairstyle chemically straightens African Americans hair with poisonous, caustic chemicals, and is done so nappy hair appears to have the texture and appearance of Caucasian hair. Malcolm later comes to condemn this hairstyle and the symbolism it stands for in the black community, even claiming that the hairstyle shouts to everyone who looks at his head, Im ashamed to be a Negro [but] he [will] discover enough black self-pride to have that mess clipped off (Malcolm 144). The status symbols, like clothes, watches and jewelry, all represent the desire that the black community has to be considered equal or similar to the white community.