Characterizing the role of the nail salon and nail salon worker on the ethnic identity development of Michigan nail salon workers’ second-generation Vietnamese American children

Abstract

Objective

Second-generation Vietnamese individuals are a prominent group in the U.S. with unique experiences, such as their parents’ heavy involvement in the nail salon industry, which shapes their identity. Yet, the experiences of Vietnamese American children who are exposed to the industry through their parents’ occupation and its impact on their ethnic identity has not been explored. This study of second-generation Vietnamese Americans with nail salon worker parents in Michigan aims to address this gap and understand the resulting effects of this biculturalism on ethnic identity development.

Methods

This qualitative study utilized interpretive phenomenology to capture the essence of second-generation Vietnamese Americans’ lived experiences. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using thematic analysis.

Results

Twenty-four individuals participated in the interviews and three major themes emerged with respective subthemes. Theme 1 focused on second-generation child and immigrant child responsibilities, as it relates to their parents’ occupation. Theme 2 focused on top-of-the-mind reactions to nail salons. Theme 3 focused on ethnic identity development while growing up in Michigan.

Conclusions

This study on the lived experiences of second-generation Vietnamese Americans with parents in the nail salon industry in Michigan has implications for better understanding the influence of racialized or migrant-based U.S. economies on ethnic identity development.