Such a Fun Age

by

Kiley Reid

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on Such a Fun Age makes teaching easy.

The LetHer Speak Polo Symbol Analysis

The LetHer Speak Polo  Symbol Icon

The LetHer Speak Polo—Emira’s unofficial babysitting uniform—symbolizes how Alix’s privilege makes her ignorant of Emira’s struggles. It also shows how Alix’s privilege prevents her from supporting Emira positively and meaningfully. Alix doesn’t explicitly tell Emira to wear the LetHer Speak polo when she babysits—she only offers Emira one of the polos so that Emira doesn’t get her clothes dirty when she is painting with Briar one day. And yet, from that day forth, Emira starts each shift by changing into the polo until it gradually becomes just another part of her routine. Alix is thrilled when she realizes this.  

That Alix reacts to Emira wearing a uniform—and especially one that displays the name of Alix’s business in bold letters for all to see—with delight instead of horror shows how unaware she is of the power dynamics that govern her and Emira’s relationship. It never occurs to Alix that Emira wearing a polo with the name of Alix’s business on it might visually suggest that Alix possesses or controls Emira (Kelley has to point this out to her). As a white, wealthy woman, Alix is rarely on the receiving end of systemic injustice, so she’s seldom placed in situations where somebody has such a fundamental advantage over her. Alix’s relative power makes her believe, incorrectly, that life is a level playing field for everyone.

But as a young Black woman who also lacks Alix’s financial stability, Emira is constantly aware of how systemic issues of race and class put certain people at a fundamental disadvantage--and give people like Alix the upper hand. While it’s true that Alix asked rather than ordered Emira to put on the polo, how free could Emira really have felt to say no to her employer, who can fire her at any moment, for any reason? Finally, Emira’s LetHer Speak polo bears an uncanny resemblance to the polo that Alix’s parents made their Black housekeeper and caregiver, Claudette, wear. Claudette’s uniform carries more obviously problematic symbolism than Emira’s—it featured the family’s last name, “Murphy,” stitched across the polo, visually identifying Claudette as their property. Nevertheless, delight over Emira’s polo shows how Alix unwittingly mimics problematic behavior she has long vowed never to repeat. Though Alix may disapprove of her parents’ views and behaviors, her economic and racial identity imbues her with a degree of privilege that makes these problematic behaviors come easily and unnoticeably. Emira’s LetHer Speak polo shows how privilege can corrupt otherwise good intentions.

The LetHer Speak Polo Quotes in Such a Fun Age

The Such a Fun Age quotes below all refer to the symbol of The LetHer Speak Polo . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
External Behavior vs. Internal Truth  Theme Icon
).
Chapter 4 Quotes

In her first week of babysitting for the Chamberlains, Emira took Briar to a painting class. She’d been wearing an oversized knit cardigan, the kind that paint would never come out of, and Alix offered her one of her many white LetHer Speak polos. “I actually have tons of these and you’re the same size as my old interns,” she’d said. “Well, they might be a bit big on you, but you’re welcome to wear one anytime.” This became Emira’s uniform. Three times a week, Alix came downstairs to find Emira slipping a white polo over her head. She hung it up on the coatrack just before she left. And suddenly, as Alix walked through blue ribbons hanging from the balloons above, the tenderness of this tradition made her throat start to close.

Related Characters: Emira Tucker, Alix Chamberlain/Alex Murphy, Briar Chamberlain
Related Symbols: The LetHer Speak Polo
Page Number: 49
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 14 Quotes

Emira said, “Sure,” but this all felt very strange. Not only did she not know how to fold silverware into napkins, but the pile of hand towels seemed careless in a way that didn’t match Mrs. Chamberlain. Mrs. Chamberlain definitely would have completed this task before guests arrived. Had Tamra unassembled them just so she and Emira could have this moment? Weren’t they all about to have dinner together anyway? Emira looked down and she was almost startled to find her own olive green dress, instead of the oversized white polo she wore every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Related Characters: Emira Tucker (speaker), Alix Chamberlain/Alex Murphy, Kelley Copeland , Tamra
Related Symbols: The LetHer Speak Polo
Page Number: 164
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 21 Quotes

“You act like what happened to you was worse than what happened to Robbie, even though—let’s not even go there. If you love Emira so much, then let her wear what she wants,” Kelley jeered. “I’m sure I didn’t handle things well back in high school. I was seventeen, I was an idiot. But at least I’m not still requiring a uniform for someone who works for me so I can pretend like I own them.”

“Ohmygod!” Alix formed fists with both hands on the table. “You have no idea what you’re talking about. She asked! I lent her a shirt!”

“You lend her the same shirt? Every day? In the business we call that a uniform.”

“You are so completely out of line.”

Related Characters: Alix Chamberlain/Alex Murphy (speaker), Kelley Copeland (speaker), Emira Tucker, Robbie Cormier, Claudette, The Murphys
Related Symbols: The LetHer Speak Polo
Page Number: 227-228
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 25 Quotes

She chose you. Emira and Kelley are no longer together. Stay with it, Alix. You’re almost there.

Related Characters: Alix Chamberlain/Alex Murphy (speaker), Emira Tucker, Kelley Copeland , Zara , Tamra, Laney Thacker
Related Symbols: The LetHer Speak Polo
Page Number: 283
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Such a Fun Age LitChart as a printable PDF.
Such a Fun Age PDF

The LetHer Speak Polo Symbol Timeline in Such a Fun Age

The timeline below shows where the symbol The LetHer Speak Polo appears in Such a Fun Age. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 4
External Behavior vs. Internal Truth  Theme Icon
White Guilt, Ignorance, and Redemption Theme Icon
Race, Class, and Privilege  Theme Icon
...as Emira hangs her backpack on the coatrack and slips on one of Alix’s old LetHer Speak polo s, which had become Emira’s unofficial “uniform” after Alix loaned her one so she wouldn’t... (full context)
Chapter 9
External Behavior vs. Internal Truth  Theme Icon
...Meanwhile, Emira takes her purse off its hook on the wall. Then she removes her LetHer Speak polo and hangs it on the wall. (full context)
Chapter 10
The Quest for Meaning  Theme Icon
Race, Class, and Privilege  Theme Icon
...offered to help Emira at the birthday party, and she’d tucked in the tag on Emira’s polo shirt . (full context)
Chapter 18
External Behavior vs. Internal Truth  Theme Icon
White Guilt, Ignorance, and Redemption Theme Icon
The Quest for Meaning  Theme Icon
Race, Class, and Privilege  Theme Icon
...back down. He tells Emira about the uniform Alex’s parents made their Black housekeeper wear—a polo shirt that had “Murphy” stitched across the back. The word “polo” makes Emira freeze. Kelley notices... (full context)
Chapter 25
External Behavior vs. Internal Truth  Theme Icon
White Guilt, Ignorance, and Redemption Theme Icon
Race, Class, and Privilege  Theme Icon
...that. Emira smiles at Alix and Laney before she explains that, usually, she wears “a babysitting uniform .” Inwardly, Alix starts to panic, but she tries to tell herself that Emira is... (full context)